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EXCLUSIVE: 10 Years Of Jab We Met: With Shahid Kapoor, there was a lot of conversation and Kareena Kapoor Khan, it was more of a silent understanding, says Imtiaz Ali
From his first chat with Shahid Kapoor to Kareena Kapoor Khan facing danger from a beehive, Imtiaz Ali reveals how Jab We Met was finally made.
"Main Apni Favourite Hoon," says Geet Dhillon aka Kareena Kapoor Khan to Aditya Kashyap aka Shahid Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met. The movie which gave a new dimension to the careers of both Kareena and Shahid completes 10 years today. Considered to be one of the most romantic tales of the 21st century, the movie harbours a sense of freedom in one's mind as we trace the journey of an overtly hyperactive Geet and an equally serious and a man with history Aditya through Ratlam's quiet lane and the mesmerizing khets of Punjab.
Ever wondered what must have been the story behind the making of this iconic movie? Well, we tried to dwell in some details from the captain of the ship himself - IMTIAZ ALI.
Imtiaz, who himself is too overwhelmed with the kind of response the film garnered, admitted that initially he wasn't really confident about it and had at several times decided to scrap it but now is happy with how the movie has now become a person of its own.
"Jab We Met is a person now, it has its own character, its rightful intent, and its own way of getting itself made," he says.
Narrating how he ended up writing the script, Imtiaz recounted, "I started it, sat with my friend in order to get him inspired to write and do something in life and ended up writing Jab We Met's script. I wrote this during the time when I was doing Socha Na Tha which took four years to complete, which meant I had a lot of time in hand so I wrote this to keep myself occupied. For two years, I did not want to make this movie. After that suddenly I decided to give it a shot instead of sitting ideal. I don't even know how things were turning out, there was no time for music, no time for pre-production, no time to decide on the location. Everything just happened on its own and in record time we started the film and completed it."
For a film which almost resurrected many careers, Imtiaz revealed, "When I was making this film, I did not know if this film is worth being made. I thought it is not substantial."
So, what made the ace filmmaker change his mind? Well, it was Shahid Kapoor!
"Long time back, I was supposed to make this movie with Bobby Deol but then the plan fell apart and then we decided not to make the film. Someone then introduced me to Shahid and he asked me what story am I working on and I told him about this film in a casual conversation. However, he showed interest in the film but I wasn't sure," Imtiaz adds.
He then reiterated that it was Shahid who convinced him and was more confident about the movie than anyone else.
"The great thing about Shahid is that he convinced me and said, 'well, who would be a good girl to play the part' and I spoke about Kareena. He said, 'why don't Kareena and I hear this story and then let's see.' The three of us then sat down on the floor just like I used to do it during my theatre days and narrated them the story and they agreed to it. He then asked me what was my reason to not make the film and I said 'you are too young for the part'. He then said that we can together work on that maturity part and I realized that he looks young but there is a certain level of maturity in Shahid which made him best suited to play Aditya. Actually, Shahid pushed for the film to be made, he was confident that the film will do very well, none of us had any clue about that then," Imtiaz revealed.
When asked about his favourite character from the movie, the filmmaker stunned us with his answer. "In JWM, I like the tamatar wali the most. I like that dialogue the most when she [tamatar wali] says, 'pata nahi kis kis kone mein gus gaye mere tamatar' because though in the background that woman comes out as a powerful personality," he says, while adding "There are small characters which I like. I also like the guy who is selling water at the railway station. I liked the Hotel Decent guy too."
But, who amongst Geet, Aditya and Anshuman is his favourite, he says, "I like Anshuman a lot."
Any particular reason why? and the director quickly prompts, "It is a unique character. Now, when I watch the movie, I don't know whether to take him as a villain, or a funny guy who I can laugh at or a victim because he has not done as much wrong as it has happened to him ultimately. He is a mix of different things."
Each director puts in a part of him in the film, so who does Imtiaz resonate with the most in JWM?
"When they say that something of a director is there in every movie, they don't just mean in characters. I feel that something of the director is there in small bits, in a lot of things. For instance, during the time and before I was making JWM, I had recurring dreams of missing the train, that I am running on the platform and missing the train. Geet in JWM has the same feeling. After making Jab We Met, that nightmare went away. So, that was there from me into Geet. Otherwise, I aspired to be like Geet, to be so free, and be disarming and speak so much because I always felt socially awkward and shy," he replies.
"Also, the fact that I am from a small town, so I understand the family structure that exists in a smaller town like Punjab," Imtiaz adds.
What was the most difficult or challenging scene to shoot? To this, the director has a funny tale to tell.
"There was one scene which was challenging in a funny and dramatic way," he starts, "This was the scene when Shahid and Kareena meet at the end for the final time in the field. Now that scene is in a way an indication of the happy ending. The scene was under a tree and it was a nice location but right above the head was a beehive which had already bitten a few people from the crew. Kareena had to stand under it and perform the scene. There was no way we would do it. It was very scary and we decided not to do it but suddenly the light became right so we just did it. Kareena was scared too but we all did the scene praying and hoping that the bees don't sting us or Kareena."
We were curious to know who would Imtiaz like to cast if he had to make Jab We Met in 2017? and the director speaks, "I think I cannot imagine anybody else in Shahid and Kareena's place."
However, what would he like to change in the script? "See, I think 10 years have gone by. There are so many things that I would like to change but now I feel that it has a cohesiveness of its own. After 10 years, you also make peace with whatever you thought would have made the script look more good. Now, I would not like to change it," he asserts.
Each of Imtiaz's film starts with a certain mystery around the protagonist. A prologue to each story is what sets his movies apart. What about this style intrigues him? "I like that, this is more dramatic where you don't have all the answers but you are seeing something," he says, adding, "Like in JWM, when the movie begins, you see Aditya getting out of the office and whatever he is doing but you can't see his angst, you don't know him to feel sad with him. As things happen, an extra layer of the unravelling of somebody's history adds more drama to it, rather than being served the whole thing first. There is a certain intrigue with which the movie starts, makes you wonder, and then constantly you are looking at that character with special interest because you want to know his past."
Finally, how was your experience working with Shahid and Kareena? "It was excellent," he exclaims. "They are very different kind of actors but with Shahid, there was a lot of conversation and with Kareena, it was more of a silent understanding," he concluded.
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