5 min readMumbaiMay 31, 2026 01:16 PM IST
Actor Bobby Deol will be seen as a has-been star in Anurag Kashyap’s thriller Bandar, slated to release in cinemas on June 5. The role has parallels to Bobby’s real-life acting career, given he bounced back after years of lows with films like Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s 2023 family crime drama Animal, and shows like Prakash Jha’s Amazon MXPlayer crime drama Aashram and Aryan Khan’s Netflix India directorial debut The Ba***ds of Bollywood. In a recent interview, Bobby reflected on how he used the “hate” and “anger” from a challenging period in his life to become a “better actor.”
One of the major setbacks in Bobby’s low career phase was when he was replaced by Shahid Kapoor as the male lead in Imtiaz Ali’s 2007 seminal romantic comedy Jab We Met. Even though Bobby had gotten Imtiaz as well as the leading lady, Kareena Kapoor, on board, and was actively pitching the film to production houses, he realized later that one of those banners made the same film with the same director and the same leading lady, only replacing Bobby as the male lead with Shahid.
“That story is done now. We’re friends. My heart got broken because I needed a film like this during that phase of my career,” Bobby Deol said on Aap Ki Adalat. “I had great confidence in Imtiaz since the time when he was making Socha Na Tha with Abhay. When I watched the rough cut, I was so taken in and excited by his work. I though he’s such a good director, I should work with him,” he added.
Imtiaz Ali made his feature directorial debut with the 2005 rom-com Socha Na Tha, starring Bobby’s cousin Abhay Deol, in his acting debut, opposite Ayesha Takia. The film was produced by Bobby’s father and legendary actor Dharmendra’s production house Vijayta Films, and supervised by his elder brother and actor-filmmaker Sunny Deol.
Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia in Socha Na Tha.
“That’s when we first decided we’d make a film together. But when your market position isn’t good, nobody backs you. So much time passed trying to get the film started. The production house I pitched it to said Imtiaz is a very expensive director. But the same production house ended up making the film with Imtiaz, and with the same heroine I’d gotten on board,” recalled Bobby Deol.
“These things do happen. It never happens that only good things happen to someone,” reasoned Bobby, adding, “When I began working on myself, I decided the hurt and anger I’ve gone through should become my strength. Because you can’t just keep crying about it. These things made me a better person and a better actor. I’ve only learnt from them. I don’t have any qualms with anyone.”
Bobby Deol previously opened up about the Jab We Met incident during an appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast Figuring Out last year. “I was heartbroken. I was not getting work. I was doing films with certain directors… They were typical Bollywood films. I have nothing against Imtiaz. I love the guy; he’s one of the most talented directors we have in the industry. I guess, in that moment in his career, he was also insecure and had to make choices. But it happened in a bad way.”
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However, Imtiaz Ali’s side of the story is slightly different. “Socha Na Tha got over, but I still didn’t make the film for two years because I wanted Bobby to start it (Jab We Met). But he was getting other offers from big directors, so he was waiting for that to happen. He kept postponing my film, but then a time came when I didn’t find it correct because a lot of time went by,” the filmmaker told The Lallantop in 2023.
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“Because I did Socha Na Tha for five years and I didn’t do a film for two years after that, so it was putting financial strain on me. Then I told Bobby, ‘Let’s not make this film. Let’s shake our hands and decide we will not do this film together because then our thing will be affected,” he added.
