How Imtiaz Ali would do 'Jab We Met' differently

Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met (2007) may be getting older, but the memories sure aren't. Those who have watched the film might be familiar with the iconic scene where Geet (played by Kareena Kapoor), the female protagonist, lashes out at her former lover on the phone, launching curses at him for betraying her. But the filmmaker believes that there was room for more.

In an interview with SCREEN, Imtiaz shared what he would have done differently. "The abuses would have been sharper. I would've loved to see Geet say really dirty curse words - you know, the very unexpected ones. That would've been fun. And maybe I could have shown that the words were shocking to even Shahid [Kapoor]'s character Aditya, who'd never have heard some of the words before. As in, this could've gone much lower than his expectations. That could have been even more fun."

Not actually soulmates?

Jab We Met follows the story of Aditya, a depressed tycoon who sees no purpose in life until he meets Geet, an overly enthusiastic girl whose outlook of life changes him for the better. The two cross paths while they're on a train, where Aditya is looking for an escape while Geet is eloping to meet her lover. While, at first, their personalities clash, Aditya slowly warms up to Geet and finds himself pulled into her eventful life many times over.

Imtiaz, who has time and again rejected the prospect of making a sequel for the film, shared another interesting what-if scenario. Despite giving his leads a happy ending in the original film, he isn't too hopeful about their marriage down the line. He believes that the lovers Geet and Aditya would be "at a divorce lawyer's office" today.

When Shahid Kapoor was told of the scenario, also in an interview with SCREEN, he couldn't help but agree. "That's actually a fun idea that Geet and Aditya are now breaking up because they are frustrated with each other. Aditya is like, 'She is her own favourite, who can ever put up with her?'" he said.

Shahid understood the fact that this development would not sit well with fans, who adore the fictional couple's bond. However, he has faith in Imtiaz's vision. "If our filmmaker thinks these two will divorce each other, then who am I to come in between? I am just an actor."

Fate's plans

The Indian Express reported that Shahid and Kareena had been dating back when they were shooting for the romantic comedy. However, they had broken up by the time of the film's release. Since then, they've only worked together on Abhishek Chaubey's 2016 film Udta Punjab, though they didn't share the screen for that project.

When asked at the trailer launch if fans should hope for a sequel for Jab We Met, Shahid joked that Imtiaz had "moved on" from the film. Meanwhile, Kareena added that a DVD is always available for those who wish to relive the experience.

In a 2020 interview with Anupama Chopra, Kareena revealed that it was actually Shahid who proposed the role of Geet to her. "It was Shahid who said that I should check out the film's script. He was like, 'The girl's part is amazing and you should do it.' He kind of actually got this entire project together and both of us ended up doing this film," she said.

Adding a bittersweet note about the breakup, she said, "Of course, then destiny had its own plan and life took its own course. A lot happened in the making of this film and Tashan and our lives. We all kind of went our separate ways. And this beauty of a movie came out of it."