Mumbai, June 21, 2026
When filmmaker Karan Johar asked actress Preity Zinta how she felt being the second choice for the movie “Kal Ho Naa Ho” after Kareena Kapoor, she handled the question with utmost grace.
During her appearance on the ‘Koffee With Karan’, Preity compared the role to a pair of jeans tried on by someone but never bought.
She said, “This film was in my destiny.”
During the episode, Karan had asked Preity, “Kareena was the first choice for the film. How did you feel, actually, stepping into Kareena Kapoor’s shoes?”
Reacting to this, Preity said, “Somebody else asked me this question ages ago, and I said, if you go to a store, you try on a pair of jeans, and they fit you well, but you don’t buy them, it doesn’t mean they’re your jeans. You know the next person who comes tries them on and buys them.”
“I remember when you called me, and I said, okay, can I hear the script and once I heard the script? I was like, “Why didn’t Kareena want to do this film?” And then it was all over the place. Kareena was the first choice.”
Helmed by debutant director Nikkhil Advani, “Kal Ho Naa Ho” has been penned by Karan Johar, along with Niranjan Iyengar.
Backed by Yash Johar under Dharma Productions, the project featured Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Preity as the primary cast, with Jaya Bachchan, Sushma Seth, Reema Lagoo, Lillete Dubey, and Delnaaz Irani in supporting roles.
Set against the background of New York City, the movie revolves around Naina Catherine Kapur (Played by Preity Zinta), who falls for her visiting neighbour Aman Mathur (Played by Shah Rukh Khan). However, Aman tries to set Naina up with her best friend, Rohit Patel (Played by Saif Ali Khan), due to a secret.(Agency)
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