Jab We Met

*Jab We Met (English: When We Met) is a 2007 Indian romantic comedy film written and directed by Imtiaz Ali. I The film, produced by Dhillin Mehta under Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd, stars Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor in their fourth film together with Dara Singh, Pavan Malhotra and Saumya Tandon in supporting roles. The film received universal critical acclaim and has developed a cult following since its release.*

*Primarily based in Mumbai, Bathinda, and Shimla, Jab We Met tells the story of a feisty Punjabi girl, Geet Dhillon, who is sent off track when she bumps into a depressed Mumbai businessman, Aditya Kashyap, on an overnight train to Delhi. While attempting to get him back on board when he alights at a station stop, both are left stranded in the middle of nowhere. Having walked out of his corporate business after being dumped by his girlfriend, Aditya has no destination in mind, until Geet forces him to accompany her back home to her family, and then on to elope with her secret boyfriend, Anshuman.*

*Released in the United Kingdom a day before its worldwide release of 26 October 2007, the film became a hit at the Indian box office as well as overseas. The distributors of the film, Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd, announced that Jab We Met would be remade by corporate entity Moser Baer in four other Indian languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. However, eventually, it was remade only in Tamil as Kanden Kadhalai.*

*The film fetched several awards, among which was a National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer awarded to Shreya Ghoshal for the song Yeh Ishq Haaye, which remained a chartbuster for many weeks.*

## Plot

Aditya Kashyap, heir to a wealthy family of industrialists, is depressed and suicidal, and walks out of a major company meeting. He wanders aimlessly until he boards a train where he meets another passenger, Geet Dhillon, an excessively jovial and talkative young girl. Aditya is initially irritated by Geet and later, exits the train at the next station. As the train leaves the station, Geet under the impression that Aditya is unaware of the train's departure, goes after him, but this results in both of them getting left behind as the train departs. They chase the train down to the next stop via taxi, only for Geet to once again miss her train due to the argument she picks up with the owner of a station stall.

Geet informs the station master of her situation and after necessary arrangements are made, she wanders within the station. She's later harassed by the same person she argued with and later accosted by a few men who believe her to be a prostitute. She then spots Aditya and runs after him. Seeing her with another man, the men leave her alone. After blaming Aditya for her putting her into this situation, she insists on him personally escorting her back to her home in Bhatinda. Aditya, having had no destination in mind anyways and feeling partially responsible, agrees. The two then book a room at a nearby hotel for the night, where Aditya becomes more comfortable talking to her, dropping his quiet reserved nature. While there, Geet tells him she plans to elope with her boyfriend Anshuman, who her family is unaware of. When Aditya questions her on whether if eloping is the only way, she tells him that her family wouldn't accept Anshuman due to their religious differences. The next morning, Geet and Aditya begin making their way to Geet's family home in Bathinda. The two of them grow closer over the journey, and Aditya tells her that he's the son of a late wealthy industrialist and heir to his father's company. It is then that Geet realizes he's a public figure. Aditya confides in her of his company's financial troubles post his father's death, and how his girlfriend ended up marrying someone else. It is during this conversation that we come to know of Aditya's mother's extramarital affair and subsequent elopement, thus explaining why he questioned Geet's choice of eloping with Anshuman.

At Geet's family home, her relatives are exceedingly grateful to Aditya for keeping Geet safe and ask him to stay with them for a week to show their gratitude. They meet Geet's grandfather who suspects that there is something between the two, which both deny. He goes on to say that at his age, one tends to know what is between a boy and a girl. He accepts Aditya and expresses his gratitude for bringing her back home safely. Geet's family decides to arrange her wedding with her childhood family friend Manjeet. An uninterested Geet pretends to be in love with Aditya in order to derail their plans. Geet decides to go ahead with her plans of elopement and run away from home that night. She later visits Aditya in his room to say goodbye. Aditya tries to discourage her, telling her that by running away, she'd be leaving him behind, and the family would suspect him and her to have been together and how he'll end up in trouble. When Geet tells him to instead assist her and escape together into the night, Aditya initially disagrees saying the family will then affirm their suspicions. Geet assures him by saying it doesn't make a difference to him either way. Realizing this, he decides to pack his things and join her. However, Geet's cousin sister Roop sees them leaving and alerts the rest of the household. Aditya and Geet decide to hide on the terrace until everything settles down. The two of them then arrive in Manali, where Anshuman resides; Geet tries to get Aditya to accompany her in meeting Anshuman, but Aditya, who has fallen in love with her, bids her farewell.

Aditya then returns to his company, a changed man. Nine months later, he is shown to have successfully revived the company's poor state and status and enjoying a renewed optimism towards life owing to the time he spent with Geet. This is shown in how he feels her presence around him in everything he does. He also reconciles with his mother and invites her to rejoin him at the company. He launches a new product named after her and the launch event is shown on TV, which Geet's family sees, thereby alerting her family to her possible whereabouts, as she has not contacted them in the preceding nine months. Geet's uncle comes to Aditya's office to confront him; Aditya, although unaware of her whereabouts, promises to bring her back home in the next ten days. He returns to Manali to meet Anshuman, but learns that Anshuman rebuffed Geet the moment she arrived. Anshuman had never planned a life with her nor had he ever mentioned marrying her in the time he spent together. He tries to explain that it was Geet who had childishly fantasized about the whole marriage aspect and not him, to which Aditya replies with disgust asking how he could've possibly rejected her when she had left her whole world behind for him. Anshuman, angrily asks him to mind his own business and why he cares so much about her. It is then that Aditya informs him of Geet not having returned home in the last nine months, how no one has seen her, and the possibility of her being missing or in a lost, helpless state because of Anshuman's instant rejection of her.

Aditya then finds Geet in Shimla, where she leads a dull, quiet, sullen life as a schoolteacher at her former school. Her former teacher, while on a trip to Manali, noticed her sad state and brought her there. Aditya notices a change in her demeanor, which has become similar to how he was before meeting her on the train. He takes her to a hotel and offers her the catharsis of berating Anshuman over the phone, and they share an intimate hug afterward. The next day, Anshuman having become ridden with guilt, attempts to reconcile with Geet. When Geet expresses her uncertainty in whether she should go back to Anshuman or not to Aditya, Aditya encourages her to forgive him and start afresh. The three of them then go to Bhatinda. To their surprise, Geet's family has prepared a grand welcome for her. However, it becomes apparent that they are under the impression that she had eloped with Aditya, thus showing Aditya was right in what he surmised would happen when they left those nine months back. For the rest of the day, Geet repeatedly fails to get an opportunity to tell her family the truth throughout the day. When she finally does, she finds herself unable to tell her mother the truth. She goes to Aditya that night to tell him the same and of her concerns over the whole situation. He consoles her saying everything would be alright and that he'll meet her in the morning with Anshuman so that she and Anshuman can discuss what to do next.

The next day, Aditya informs her that he will be leaving soon and then gives her the privacy to talk with Anshuman. Anshuman assures her that he's fine that she couldn't tell the truth the previous night to her mom, and then tells her of his plan for Geet and him to announce their marriage to her family. It is then that Geet realizes that she is in love with Aditya and not Anshuman. She abandons Anshuman and runs to Aditya as he spends his last few hours at her family home. She tells him how he had inadvertently helped her realize who she truly wanted and the two of them share a passionate kiss. Seeing this, Anshuman, slightly confused and hurt, leaves. Their planned wedding, now genuine, takes place, with Aditya's mother present as the two had reconciled earlier. Geet and Aditya go on to have two daughters. The film ends with Geet's grandfather telling his two great-granddaughters in Geet and Aditya's presence of how 'mischievous' their parents were and how he knew from the moment he saw them together what was between Geet and Aditya. After all, at his age, one tends to know what is between a boy and a girl. The film ends with Geet and Aditya nodding in agreement with Geet's grandfather. They share a smile, their girls looking on.

## Cast

* Shahid Kapoor as Aditya Kashyap/Aditya Kumar, Geet's husband
* Kareena Kapoor as Geet Kaur Dhillon/Geet Aditya Kashyap, Aditya's wife
* Dara Singh as Suryendra Dhillon, Geet's grandfather
* Pavan Malhotra as Prem Dhillon, Geet's uncle
* Kiran Juneja as Amrita Dhillon, Geet's mother
* Sanjay Kushwaha as Sanj
* Saumya Tandon as Roop Kaur Dhillon, Geet's cousin
* Tarun Arora as Anshuman
* Divya Seth as Ayesha Kashyap, Aditya's mother
* Nihar Thakkar as Raghav
* Brijendra Kala as taxi driver Shrikant Anand
* Kishore Pradhan as Station Master
* Vishal O Sharma as Advocate Rohit Bhosle, Aditya's lawyer
* Rubina as Sojal, Geet's cousin
* Wamiqa Gabbi as Yash, Geet's cousin

## Production

Pre-production work on the film began in early 2007 when Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd announced that director Imtiaz Ali would be directing the then real-life couple Shahid and Kareena Kapoor in their first "full-fledged romantic drama". When Ali began casting for the film, Preity Zinta was the director's first choice to portray the role of Geet Dhillon whilst actor Bobby Deol was the first choice for the role of Aditya Kashyap but Shahid replaced Bobby after Ali met him and discovered the actor was more than a poster boy, while when Preity refused to do the film the role went to Kareena. On the two lead actors, Ali commented, "I wanted a girl who could look natural in scenes where she misses the train. She had to be without make-up, someone who could be hyper, talkative and interesting but not irritating. I was never a fan of her [Kareena] and hadn't seen too many of her flicks, but I just knew Kareena was perfect as Geet [...] [On the other hand], When I met him [Shahid], I realised he wasn't the forgettable actor that he comes across in several of his movies. He has gone through a lot in life and that maturity had never been brought out. He was perfect for the role of a young, mature, quiet guy."

The film was shot throughout the Punjab region, and filming started on 20 March 2007 in Chandigarh and later headed to Shimla and Manali, where the crew filmed a song on the Himalayas and the Rohtang Pass. Manish Malhotra served as the costume designer. The summer shots in Punjab of the haveli were filmed in Nabha near Patiala. While shooting the last schedule of the film in Mumbai, sources had indicated that the lead pair had broken up. Though the media projected it as a publicity stunt for the film, it was later confirmed that the couple had indeed parted ways. The title of the film was decided by a popular vote; moviegoers had a choice between *Punjab Mail*, *Ishq Via Bhatinda* ('Love via Bhatinda') and *Jab We Met*.

To promote the film, the actors appeared separately on different television shows. Kareena Kapoor appeared as guest judge on the singing talent contest *Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007* whilst Shahid Kapoor appeared on *Amul STAR Voice of India* and *Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa*; they later appeared together on the television show *Nach Baliye*. Apart from this, the producers also painted two full local trains in Mumbai from the Western and Central lines with *Jab We Met* imagery, where Shahid Kapoor chatted up with fellow passengers and informed them about the movie. On the night of 23 October 2007, a special preview of the film was organized at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai for those associated with the film and their families.

## Release

### **Reception**

The film opened to positive reviews on 26 October 2007 with a fairly good opening of 70% all over India and later increased to 90% during the weekend. Making a total first week net business of 11.75 crores from 350 cinemas, the film went into the second week with very strong collections and saw a massive increase with 40%-50% increment in shows worldwide.

Continuing its strong march in week two with collections of over ₹90 million (US$1.3 million) and a two-week total of ₹210 million (US$2.9 million), the film was declared a *hit*. During its third week, *Jab We Met* managed to add another ₹20 million (US$280,000) to its collections but suffered a setback due to the arrival of Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's *Saawariya*, which resulted in the number of shows for the film being reduced. Due to popular demand and the poor performance of the latter, the following week saw an increase in the number of prints for the film across the country, and resulted in a 50% increase of the film's collections. Completing fifty successful days at the box office on 14 December 2007, the film received a *hit* status by *BoxOffice India* and continued running successfully in cinemas with greater number of shows than the much later-released, *Om Shanti Om*.

As of February 2008, *Jab We Met* has made a net business of over ₹710 million (US$10.9million), and has emerged as one of the biggest hits of the year. On 30 January 2008, it was announced that to celebrate the success of its 100 days run at the box office, PVR Cinemas in Delhi would have a special screening of the film on Valentine's Day.

Meanwhile, *Jab We Met* also opened well overseas especially in the U.K., where it was released a day before its worldwide release of 26 October. Debuting at number 10 in the U.K., the film grossed £11,488 on its previews night and £144,525 on its opening weekend, collecting a total of £156,013 from 31 screens. The film continued to do strong business and garnered excellent collections during its second week, making a two-week total of £325,996. Over the next five weeks, *Jab We Met* collected a total of £43,529 from 54 screens and made a grand total of £424,681.

### **Reviews**

Upon release, the film opened to positive reviews. Critics praised the film for its simplicity, its romance, saying that it was "one of the finest romantic films to come out of Bollywood in 2007". The film's direction and performances were particularly appreciated. Taran Adarsh from *indiaFM* gave the film a 3.5 out of 5 rating saying it is "as refreshing as an ice-cold watermelon juice in scorching heat." Subhash K. Jha wrote, "...*Jab We Met* is the kind of cinematic experience that is hard to come by in this day and age of smoky cynicism and borrowed rage." Rajeev Masand from *CNN-IBN*, who gave the film 3 stars out of 5, described it as "a film bursting with the kind of lovely little moments that'll bring a smile to your face. Khaled Mohamed, of the *Hindustan Times*, gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, saying the film, "is quite a delight, particularly for the chirpy-chirpy-cheep-cheep girl and the retentive, moan-groan boy. Directed with a flair for garnishing even the most abject of circumstances with humour and irony, here’s a feel-cool movie. Wonderful.

Most critics agreed that the main highlight of the film was the leading pair and Shahid and Kareena's chemistry. Rajeev Masand further explained, "The real magic of this film lies in the performances of its two main leads who seize your attention from the moment they first appear on screen." Taran Adarsh commented, "Shahid delivers his career-best performance in *Jab We Met*... Kareena is in top form as well. *Jab We Met* is a turning point in her career [personally as well as professionally]. Fantabulous -- that's the right word to describe her work this time. The confidence with which she handles the contrasting characterization speaks volumes. This film should do for her what *Kuch Kuch Hota Hai* (1998) did for Kajol." Subhash K. Jha approved the chemistry as well, "...there are sparks...and the ones between Kareena and Shahid are so unselfconsciously genuine that you end up looking at the characters rather than the two actors going through a series of brilliantly conceived and energized incidents..." *The Times of India* gave the film 4 out of 5 stars concluding, "The film belongs to Shahid and Kareena who pitch in memorable performances and lend a whole new meaning to the boy-meets-girl story." Joginder Tuteja from *indiaglitz.com* gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, described it as "Shahid-Kareena's *DDLJ*", and concluded that "...it would be a pain if any of the two actors do not get awarded and rewarded for their performances..."

Reviews towards the director, Imtiaz Ali, were favourable as well. *Indiatimes* wrote, "After his much appreciated *Socha Na Tha* (2004), Imtiaz goes bigger and better and the result is nothing but flying colours".

## Legacy

*Jab We Met* remains one of the most popular romantic films in Bollywood. The film helped bring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor's acting careers to a whole new level. The couple was named onto *Bollywood Hungama*'s list of the top 10 best romantic couples of the decade. Yahoo! Movies India listed the film as one of the Bollywood's top 10 most romantic movies. The film was remade in Tamil as *Kanden Kadhalai*. The film's plot also inspired the television show *Love U Zindagi*.

Kareena Kapoor, who had before enjoyed only some success in her films, had catapulted herself to becoming one of Bollywood's superstars. Her character, Geet Dhillon, has become one of the most popular and recognizable heroines in Bollywood. She later went on to say about her role, "To play a character like 'Geet' doesn't happen all the time; it just happens. When you begin working on a film, you of course know about the story and your character. However, no one knows how audiences would eventually react to it. 'Geet' did strike a chord with the audiences and became a household name." Kareena Kapoor, for her performance, was ranked number 66 in *Filmfare* magazine's 80 Iconic Bollywood Performances list. According to Hindi Film News, she was number 5 in the critic's top ten and number 4 in the popular top ten for the finest performance by a Bollywood actress for the decade. She was also named by Rediff as one of Bollywood's most beloved characters.

## DVD

On 7 December 2007, the film was officially released on DVD in the U.S., U.K., UAE and other international markets. A single disc collector's item in an enclosed box, the DVD contained English, Portuguese, Arabic, and Spanish subtitles.

In India, *Jab We Met*'s DVD was released on 29 January in a single as well as an exclusive twin DVD pack with a price of under Rs. 50. While the film's duration is 138 minutes, the additional DVD in a twin pack also has 20 minutes of special features of the film's making directed by Nazar Abbas.

## Music

 Released
 Genre
 Length
 Label
 Producer

The score was composed and produced by Sanjoy Chowdhury. The film featured songs composed by Pritam Chakraborty with lyrics by Irshad Kamil. "Aaoge Jab Tum" is composed by Sandesh Shandilya and lyrics penned by Faaiz Anwar, the film's soundtrack was released on 21 September 2007 by lead actress, Kareena Kapoor on the musical show *Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007*. Joginder Tuteja from *IndiaFM* gave the music 3.5 out of 5 stars saying, "In 2007, Pritam may have been come up with good music in number of films [...] But if there is one album that impresses most after *Life in a... Metro* and turns out to be most satisfying experience, it is *Jab We Met*. The album is a perfect example of how to get a quality soundtrack which mixes songs for different segments of audience." Movietalkies.com rated the album 4 out of 5 stars, describing the album as "certainly one of the better albums that have come out this year ... Pritam has shown a depth and width of imagination in the manner in which he has used so many different genres and mixed them together to create a fascinating journey of music." The film's soundtrack debuted at number 8 and later jumped up to number 5 during its second week. Over the next several weeks, the album steadily began climbing up the music charts and saw the album sales increase after the film's release. During the week of 19 November the album replaced the soundtrack of *Om Shanti Om* and moved up to number 1 but fell back to number 2 the following week. Despite competition from the release of newer soundtracks, the album stayed at the top for over nine weeks. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 19,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's second highest-selling.

*Jab We Met'*s soundtrack was featured on Rediff's and IndiaFM's year-end list of *2007's Top 10 Music Albums*. The song "Tum Se Hi" sung by Mohit Chauhan was a best melodies song in 2007 become popular in weddings at that time

## Awards and nominations

Below is a complete list showing the awards and nominations *Jab We Met* received: