Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has revealed that he never believed his 2007 blockbuster Jab We Met was good enough to be made and had written the script merely to entertain himself, only for the film to go on to become one of Bollywood's most-loved romantic dramas.

Starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor, Jab We Met follows the journey of two contrasting strangers who meet on a train and develop an unlikely friendship that eventually blossoms into love. The film remains popular for its memorable dialogues, music and story.

Ali told PTI that he wrote the script while working on his directorial debut Socha Na Tha, starring Ayesha Takia and Abhay Deol.

As a newcomer in the industry, the filmmaker said he continued to struggle with self-doubt even while shooting Jab We Met in Punjab.

“And this was a story that I wasn't even very proud of, honestly. I wrote this script just to entertain myself. I never thought this film was good enough to be made. It was just my personal toy, so to speak,” Ali said.

The director said he was initially reluctant to narrate the script and faced repeated rejections from producers and actors after eventually pitching it.

“And when I did narrate it, believe me, this movie got rejected by producers and actors more than any other movie of mine,” he said.

Ali said many questioned the story's lack of conflict and found several elements unrealistic.

“‘What is this movie about?’, ‘What is it achieving?’, ‘There is no conflict’, ‘And it's quite silly actually the things that are happening in this film’, ‘Why will they accept Shahid Kapoor's character in the end?’.... This was getting rejected a lot.”

According to the filmmaker, Preity Zinta was the first person to respond positively to the script.

“It took a long time for 'Jab We Met' to find its cast. I had narrated it one time to Preity Zinta ... she was the first person who liked this story, this script,” he said.

Zinta was eventually unable to star in the film due to delays in production, prompting Ali to return to his original choice, Kareena Kapoor. Asked whether he would collaborate with Kapoor again, Ali said he hopes to cast her in another project in the future.