Overview

• In a new chat with podcaster Raj Shamani, Bobby Deol says he helped initiate the project after seeing a rough cut of Imtiaz Ali’s Socha Na Tha and believed the lead role was his.
• Deol recounts pitching the script to producers and recommending actors, saying Kareena Kapoor initially declined and that Preity Zinta agreed only months later.
• He says he was later dropped from the film, which ultimately starred Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor and went on to be a widely loved hit.
• Describing that period as one where he had little work, Deol says he was heartbroken but holds no grudge toward Imtiaz Ali, adding that the director felt insecure early in his career.
• Coverage also cites Ali’s previously stated version that Deol kept postponing the project, prompting him to recast rather than wait longer.