Imtiaz Ali’s films find a special place in my ‘favourite Bollywood films’ list. The way he narrates his love stories and keeps his characters as close to real-life makes you want to watch them over and over again. All his films may not have done big numbers at the box office, but it has won the audiences’ hearts! Out of all his movies, Rockstar is one of his most special projects. From the songs to Ranbir Kapoor’s performance to his chemistry with Nargis Fakhri, fans loved everything about this one. But recently, the filmmaker revealed that it was Deepika Padukone and not Nargis who was his first choice for Heer.
In a special note on Deepika’s website, Imtiaz recalled his first meeting with the actress.
He wrote:
She got off the car at the hotel porch and looked at me. I immediately knew that this is the girl I have come to meet. She also immediately knew that I am the director she had come to meet because she had those eyes that looked as if they know.
The time he met her, none of Deepika’s movies had released and he had gone to meet her for Rockstar.
He shared:
I wanted her for Rockstar but the movie did not get made till many years later. I worked with her in other movies. Many things happened over many years at many places, all of which I might forget, but I will never forget the girl who stepped out of the car at the hotel and looked at me as if she knew.
Though Rockstar didn’t work out, Imtiaz and Deepika have worked together in Cocktail (written by Imtiaz), Tamasha and Love Aaj Kal.