Imtiaz Ali Says People Doubted His Choice When He Cast Deepika Padukone In Love Aaj Kal

Deepika Padukone made her acting debut in the Hindi Film Industry with Farah Khan's reincarnation film Om Shanti Om opposite Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in 2007. In her career spanning a decade and a half, the actress has delivered several memorable performances and blockbuster movies at the box office.

One of her early hits include Imtiaz Ali's 2009 film Love Aaj Kal in which she was paired with Saif Ali Khan. Upon its release, the romantic comedy was praised for its story, performances and songs.

As Deepika clocked 15 years in Bollywood today, Imtiaz Ali in an interview with Indian Express recalled his experience of working with her on this movie. The fimmaker recalled that as an actress, people didn't think she was good. He said that they even doubted his choice of casting her as Meera in the film.

Imtiaz told the news portal, "As an actress, people didn't think she was good. I remember very well that my choice of her, even as late as Love Aaj Kal, was doubted. She was supposed to be beautiful, pretty but not a good actor. She has changed that over the years."

The filmmaker said that Deepika was quite young when she did Love Aaj Kal but the actress tried to behave as though she is older. He also revealed how he broke the ice with her.

"When Deepika was doing Love Aaj Kal with me, she was very young. But she looked older than she was at that point of time. She also tried to behave as though she is older. And then one day, something happened. I suddenly saw her for the youngster she is and the ice broke. She started to joke around, we chilled out, before that it was a slightly formal relationship. After that, we started sharing secrets, talking about vulnerabilities and I realised she had become so much more open," Ali told the publication.

In 2015, Deepika Padukone and Imtiaz Ali reunited again to deliver another acclaimed film Tamasha which starred Ranbir Kapoor.

Over the years, Deepika has established herself as one of the top leading ladies in the film industry. The actress is currently gearing up for the release of her upcoming film Pathaan which has her sharing screen space with Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham.