When Rakesh Roshan Recalled Why Kareena Kapoor Khan Was Dropped From Kaho Na Pyar Hai (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Rakesh Roshan is one of the most skilled personalities in the Hindi film industry. From acting to directing and producing, he aces them all. Hrithik Roshan came to the industry holding his father’s hands with Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. Initially, Kareena Kapoor was cast opposite HR but was dropped just a few days before filming began. Rakesh once opened up about the incident and blamed Kareena’s mother, Babita Kapoor, for it. Keep scrolling for the deets.
For the uninitiated, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai could have been Kareena’s debut film instead of Refugee with Abhishek Bachchan. Before Rakesh dropped Kapoor out of the movie, she had also shot a few scenes for the blockbuster, which eventually went to Ameesha Patel. The film catapulted HR and Ameesha to immense fame despite it being their first film. It was a big success, critically and commercially.
Rakesh Roshan once blamed Babita Kapoor for parting ways with Kareena Kapoor.
In a 2020 interview with The Quint, Rakesh Roshan recalled that filming was set to begin with a song at Filmistan Studio, but four days before the shoot, Babita requested they start with dialogues, feeling Kareena wasn’t ready. He disagreed, saying beginning with a song would help her ease into the set, while dialogues would be more challenging, though she would be trained.
Rakesh Roshan recalled, “Babita was a little adamant about it. So I said, ‘This way I cannot work because tomorrow you might say, don’t do this, don’t do that. I think it’s better we part ways because we are good friends.’ So we parted ways.” Several reports claimed that Kareena Kapoor was not given a complete narration.
In another interview with G Magazine, he said, “It’s untrue that narration was not given to her. I never sign an artist without a full narration, and if she’s the heroine of my film, even more so. A complete narration was made three months ago. I wish Babita would not interfere in her daughter’s career, for she’s harming her more than helping her. Kareena is a newcomer and should be treated like one. She cannot call the shots, just because she’s Karisma’s sister.”
Babita’s Demand for Kareena’s Top Billing
Rakesh Roshan explained that Babita had insisted Kareena receive top billing over Hrithik, which he couldn’t agree to since the hero traditionally gets the first credit, especially in a home production. Amid the growing tension, he left for Athens to finalize a ship for the shoot and asked them to decide in his absence. When he returned and received no response, he felt it was best to part ways.
Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, starring Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel, has a cult following and won several accolades after its release. It gave both the leading stars a magnificent launch.
