A whole decade since we fell in love with Geet and Aditya aka Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor and Jab We Met will always have a special place in viewers’ hearts and in the heart-space of its maker too! Here’s some interesting trivia you absolutely need to know, straight from its creator of its magic - Imtiaz Ali…
Shahid pushed…
Jab We Met is a person now, says Imtiaz, adding that it has its own character, its rightful intent, and its own way of getting itself made… But while filming, the director himself did not know if it was even worth being made! He thought it was simply not substantial enough. It was Shahid who was more convinced and confident about the film than he was, and the actor pushed to play the mature Aditya.
That tamatar-wali!
We all have our fave characters from the film but Imtiaz’s favourites are a little unexpected. For instance, he likes the tomato-seller the most, the woman who says, “Pata nahin kis kis kone mein gus gaye mere tamatar,” because she comes out as a powerful personality. Other pet characters of his include the man selling water at the railway station, the receptionist at Hotel Decent, and Geet’s beau, Anshuman, who he claims is a mix of villain, funny guy and victim!
Opposites Attract
Working with Shahid and Kareena was an excellent experience, says Imtiaz, adding that they are very different kind of actors. With Shahid, there was a lot of conversation and with Kareena, more of a silent understanding.
No More Nightmares
An interesting development occurred in Imtiaz’s life post Jab We Met. Apparently, he would have recurring dreams of missing a train, running on a platform… Geet has the same feeling in the film. After making the film, Imtiaz’s nightmares stopped! He believes he aspired to be like Geet - free, disarming, and a chatterbox, because essentially he has always felt socially awkward and shy.
Sting Operation!
In the climax scene where Geet and Aditya embrace in a field under a tree, the crew was praying especially hard that all would go well. The tree, you see, happened to be the abode of a beehive, and a few crew members had already been stung. Eventually, all was smooth-sailing; even the bees were pleased by this love story!
