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When Ranbir Kapoor replaced Shahid Kapoor as Prem in Rajkumar Santoshi's Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
Did you know that the director of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani Rajkumar Santoshi had offered the role of Prem Shankar Sharma to Shahid Kapoor first but then Ranbir Kapoor landed up playing the lead?
After the 1994 comedy-drama film Andaz Apna Apna, director Rajkumar Santoshi returned to the comedy genre with Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani in 2009. The film produced by Ramesh S. Taurani starred Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in lead roles. It was Ranbir and Katrina's first film together. Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani was declared 'Superhit' at the box office and Ranbir won several awards for the film as well. Ranbir won the audience's heart with his performance as Prem Shankar Sharma and his chemistry with Katrina was appreciated by all.
In fact, at that time, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani was Ranbir’s biggest hit and his first stint in comedy which was loved by all. But did you know that Ranbir Kapoor was not the original choice for the film by the makers? Rajkumar Santoshi had first approached Shahid Kapoor to play the role of Prem Shankar Sharma in the film. But Shahid had declined this offer as he felt that his character as Prem Shankar Sharma would be too similar to that of Aditya Kashyap from the 2007 film Jab We Met; hence, Rajkumar Santoshi offered the role to Ranbir Kapoor.
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani received positive reviews from the critics and the viewers still enjoy watching this film. It was a complete Bollywood masala film. If Shahid would have given a nod to this film, it would have marked his and Katrina's first collaboration on-screen. However, director Rajkumar Santoshi and Shahid Kapoor went on to work together in the film Phata Poster Nikla Hero in 2013.
In an interview, Shahid was all praise for the director who he thinks had brought out the best of his comic side in Phata Poster Nikla Hero. He said, "When I heard the script, I found it extremely entertaining. Rajji acted out every character from the film during the narration. I knew that I am with a director who is very clear about what he wants from me as an actor. He said this is the character to entertain the audience so that they enjoy themselves with all the buffoonery that he does."
Meanwhile, Phata Poster Nikla Hero also starring Ileana D'Cruz received a mixed response from the critics. It is loosely based on 1989's movie Guru starring Mithun, Sridevi, Shakti Kapoor in which Mithun also pretends to be police inspector and accidentally catches the criminals of a gang on different occasions, whereas he doesn't get selected for the police job due to a corrupt police officer played by Yunus Parvez.
