A perfect casting is difficult. There are always actors who could have played it better – or worse. There are also actors who would have done a good enough job, without being excellent.
But a perfect casting for me, would be if I watched a show/movie and walked away with the feeling that the character was made for the actor. A perfect casting would be when you can’t imagine anyone else doing that role and you visibly cringe at the remakes of these movies with different actors. Sometimes, audition clips are released of other actors who had aspired for that role, and when you compare them with the actor who actually got the role, a silent ‘thank god the others weren’t selected’ escapes you. That’s when you know it’s a perfect casting.
I think Kareena Kapoor as Geet from Jab We Met really ticks the boxes here. Many other names come to mind when one thinks of a bubbly character. For instance, Wikipedia states that Preity Zinta was considered for the role of Geet. She would have (probably) been good at it. But would she have propelled the character to the pedestal of a pop culture icon? I doubt it.
I stumbled upon Priya Priyathama, the Telugu remake of Jab We Met, and couldn’t get past the first ten minutes without curling my lips in disdain. Apart from the fact that Bharath looks eerily similar to Shahid Kapoor and Tamanna’s outfit is pretty close to Kapoor’s, there isn’t much to compare. Tamanna’s attempt at being vibrant, peppy and a self-assured ‘typical Guntur ammayi’ (the Telugu counterpart of ‘Bhatinda ki Sikhni’) falls flatter than Bharath’s attempt at being the dark, brooding young man, tortured by his circumstances. Maybe, it’s because remakes, in general, pale in comparison to the original? Maybe, it’s because I watched Jab We Met first, and Kapoor’s portrayal set the benchmark for me?
Geet is a character that verges on falling into the ‘manic pixie dream girl’ archetype but instead rescues itself and gives us one of the few ‘bubbly’ characters who actually has a character arc apart from spreading sunshine and making people aware of rainbows and all the good things in life. She ends up being a truly memorable character. There are many movies/shows with a carefree, happy-go-lucky girl, but Geet sets a standard that’s hard to match.
What struck me about her character is that she’s not static; her personality isn’t simply to prance around, doing what she wills, and be the perfect antidote to the brooding Aditya Kashyap. Instead, she is well-rounded and grows to be self-aware.
The scene when Aditya informs her that the man at ‘Hotel Decent’ considered her a ‘call girl’, comes to mind. “Kitni stupid thi mai’, she says. Already in a state of emotional vulnerability, Geet is overcome by the remembrance of her innocent immaturities. Kareena Kapoor brings such realness to that very specific feeling of maturing, where you look back to a seemingly insignificant incident and your folly suddenly becomes clear. Till date, I have not seen a ‘bubbly, cheerful’ girl allowed that moment of self-reflection.
Kapoor’s refinement while playing the role is also commendable. Anyone else in her position may have reduced the character to a shrill, loud girl who talks incessantly. But there is nuance, even, in the way Kapoor brings the drama and the charming vivacity. She makes Geet her own, without trying to force her into a box of the ‘bubbly girl’, a common enough character through movies.
But what makes her the perfect fit is her sensitive and real portrayal of Geet’s flaws and self-awareness. Her street smarts and independence are authentic and accessible to the common woman, who regularly face incidents that prompt ‘… chillar nahi hai’ – like dialogues. This gives the character of Geet the dimension she needs, to be a genuine character that the audience can relate to.
The thing is, Geet could be anyone of us, a flawed girl who, despite several setbacks, works to retain her personality. Her ‘funda’ of life takes some hits, but she takes her time to recover (with some help from a grateful and in love Aditya) and doesn’t let her circumstances douse her spark. Geet is real – not simply a ray of sunshine existing to dispel Aditya’s dark, gloomy clouds. In a world of cinema where it is still quite rare to find a woman with a proper story line (unless, of course, it is a ‘women-centric’ movie), Geet was definitely an iconic character.
For me, the movie was all about Geet. Without Geet (and more importantly, Kareena Kapoor’s Geet), Jab We Met would have lacked soul, it would have meandered the course of other such rom-coms and lost its way. It would have been mediocre. Geet lent it life and light, while Kareena Kapoor gave it its joyful soul.