Farida Jalal accuses Karan Johar of 'shifting loyalties very fast'
Veteran actor Farida Jalal, who was recently seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi, has expressed her disappointment with filmmaker Karan Johar. Speaking to Bollywood Bubble, she accused him of "swiftly changing loyalties," and revealed why she declined a role in Kal Ho Naa Ho. Jalal mentioned being approached to portray Jaya Bachchan's mother-in-law, only months after playing characters of similar age in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
'I don't know what he's like nowadays...'
Talking about changing behaviors, Jalal said, "I don't know what he's like nowadays, loyalties shift very fast. He doesn't have any role for me these days, even though they wouldn't make a film without me at one point." "His father, Yash Johar, was one of my favorite producers. What a man, what a gem of a person!" "He'd call me up and say, 'Look Farida, we write your character even before we've decided where to go with the (protagonist).'"
Jalal reminisced about her early days with Johar
Jalal further reminisced about her early days with Johar, recalling their first meeting on the sets of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Jalal added, "He came to tell me the story of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai...It is still his best film, and I'm not just saying this because I was in it. It was a very sensitive film. He would write each and every word, every scene himself. I cried when he narrated the film to me."
Duo didn't collaborate after 2012's 'Student of the Year'
However, Jalal and Johar's relationship took a sour turn not long after. In a separate interview with India Today, she revealed that Johar didn't cast her in any Dharma project after 2012's Student of the Year. Despite personally calling her to acknowledge his past mistakes, they didn't collaborate again. She encountered a similar situation with Aditya Chopra, expressing willingness to work with Yash Chopra but receiving no future roles from Aditya, despite her appearance in DDLJ.
'I don't regret' declining 'Kal Ho Naa Ho': Jalal
Meanwhile, Jalal also disclosed that she was initially approached for a role in Nikkhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho, a part that eventually went to Sushma Seth. However, when Bachchan was cast in the film, it was mutually agreed that Jalal's role would not be suitable—as her contemporary's mother-in-law—due to the age difference between her and Bachchan. "I rejected that film, it's true, and I don't regret it," she said.
