When Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor met on the sets of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, reports suggested that the two had begun developing chemistry off screen as well. At the time Ranbir was linked to Deepika Padukone, while Katrina was reportedly in a relationship with Salman Khan, although neither actor publicly confirmed those relationships during that period. Now, actor Darshan Jariwala has recalled the time he spent with Ranbir and Katrina during the film’s shoot in Ooty and spoken about the chemistry he observed between the two lead actors. Ranbir and Katrina went on to make headlines for their relationship in the years that followed before eventually parting ways in 2016.

‘There was a chemistry between Ranbir-Katrina’

Darshan Jariwala recently spoke to Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, where he was asked about the blossoming romance between the film’s lead pair. The veteran actor said, “Where do you think an actor brings his material from?” He explained, “It is from his surroundings and personal experience. Some purists call it emotional memory. But it is often the actor’s personal experiences and emotions that they put into their characters. It must have been the same with Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. There is no doubt that there was a chemistry between the two of them.”

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Recalling the film’s long schedule in Ooty, Darshan said, “We had a forty-day schedule in Ooty, when all of us were together the whole time for the shoot. The kind of atmosphere we had on set was so full of life, laughter and fun. It was a film with a lot of good humour.”

Salman Khan’s cameo in Ajab Prem became a talking point

Salman Khan’s cameo in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani also generated considerable buzz. When the interviewer pointed out the reports at the time about Ranbir being linked to Deepika and Katrina being with Salman, Darshan said he was not aware of their personal relationships.

He said, “I am not aware of that but I know it was a great casting coup by Santoshi Ji. The entire scene between Salman and Ranbir in the film is very funny. It was genius of Santoshi Ji to work out these things.”

Asked whether there was any nervousness among the three actors while filming the scene, Darshan said, “I am not sure if they were but I know that Ranbir Kapoor is supremely confident.”

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Speaking about Salman, he added, “Salman is destiny’s child. For him to be present is enough. He is a huge star. He was playing himself in the film, so Santoshi Ji didn’t give any specific cue to Salman.”

‘Katrina often mispronounced words’

In the same interview, Darshan also recalled Katrina’s casting in Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti and spoke about some of the challenges she faced with pronunciation.

He said, “Prakash Jha has a very different way of casting people compared to Santoshi Ji. We were all talking about the political parties of Uttar Pradesh/Bihar in that film. You needed someone who is a little away from the roots of it. Katrina always had the issue of mispronunciation. She would say Frame for Prem. We all used to laugh at it. I would make her repeat these lines, sometimes she would get upset. But she was a good sport. Ranbir Kapoor would always pull her leg and even others.”