Aditya Kashyap [Shahid Kapoor], the son of a recently deceased famous industrialist, demoralized by his mothers public affair and subsequent departure, gets even more depressed after attending the marriage of the woman he loves to another man. Feeling ashamed to face the world, he walks out of the marriage gathering, boards a train in the night, and appears on the verge of committing suicide. While on board, he meets Geet Dhillon [Kareena Kapoor], a beautiful, talkative young woman who is leaving Mumbai to go to her hometown, Bathinda in Punjab. Initially, Aditya finds Geet to be very irritating and every meeting becomes mental torture for him. She discloses big plans of eloping with her boyfriend Anshuman [Tarun Arora] as she fears resentment from her parents. Geet irritates Aditya to the point where he leaves the train. In trying to get him back on the train, she ends up missing it and finds herself stranded on a desolate station Badnagar with no luggage or money. Geet confronts Aditya and tells him that he is now responsible for getting her safely to her house in Punjab. Both of them begin an idyllic journey through the exuberant North Indian heartland, making their way via buses, taxis and camel-carts to reach her house. Aditya, through spending so much time with Geet, begins to feel good about life again. On arrival, Geets family [Pawan Malhotra, Dara Singh and Kiran Juneja] mistakes the two for lovers, but they quickly assure Geets family that there is nothing of the sort going on between them. Aditya tells her family he is a musician to avoid being recognized as the famous industrialist, and her family accepts this. A few days later, Geets family finds an old childhood friend of Geets who wants to marry her. While he is there, Geet leads the suitor to believe he witnesses an intimate moment between her and Aditya and successfully dissuades him from following through on the match. Later that night, Geet runs from her home along with Aditya to marry Anshuman in Manali. However, Geets sister finds them running away together and informs the entire family. They hurriedly make their escape, but this confirms the suspicion in Geets family that they are lovers. The two escape to Manali and then part their separate ways. Upon returning to Mumbai with a new conviction and positive outlook on life because of Geets influence, Aditya guides his company to extreme success. Around nine months after his arrival, he launches a new product, a calling card named "Geet." Geet''s family sees this launch on TV and runs to Mumbai to meet Aditya. Aditya is shocked to hear that Geet has not returned home. He takes it upon himself to find her and return her to her family. Aditya returns to Manali where he expects her to be with her new husband. He finds that Anshuman had turned her out to the streets and refused to marry her. After saying a few spiteful words to Anshuman for what he did, Aditya leaves to find Geet. He finally tracks her down in Shimla, a Himalayan town and is traumatized to see what she has become: a quiet, reserved, and miserable schoolteacher. Convincing her to face her circumstances, he manages to bring her back to normal life and things start to look up for her again. However, Anshuman arrives and exclaims that he has realized he was a jerk and tries to patch up their relationship. Initially, Geet does not think she will accept his apology but Aditya pushes her to accept it and be with him even though he loves her too. All three then travel back to Bhatinda to bring Geet back and to announce that Geet and Anshuman are involved. Back in Bhatinda, the family again assumes that Geet and Aditya are together and, in all the confusion, there is no chance to right the familys misconceptions. While trying to clear the misconception, situations make Geet realize that she is in fact in love with Aditya, not Anshuman and, therefore, they get married and have two daughters.

Production

Pre-production work on the film began in early 2007 when Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd announced that director Imtiaz Ali would be directing the then real life couple Shahid and Kareena Kapoor in their first "full-fledged romantic drama". When Ali began casting for the film, Kareena Kapoor was the directors first choice to portray the role of Geet Dhillon whilst Shahid Kapoor was cast to play the role of Aditya Kashyap, after Ali met him and discovered the actor was more than a poster boy. On the two lead actors, Ali commented, "I wanted a girl who could look natural in scenes where she misses the train. She had to be without make-up, someone who could be hyper, talkative and interesting but not irritating. I was never a fan of her [Kareena] and hadnt seen too many of her flicks, but I just knew Kareena was perfect as Geet [...] [On the other hand], When I met him [Shahid], I realised he wasnt the forgettable actor that he comes across in several of his movies. He has gone through a lot in life and that maturity had never been brought out. He was perfect for the role of a young, mature, quiet guy." The cast commenced shooting from 20 March 2007 onwards in Chandigarh, Punjab and later headed to film in places like Shimla and Manali, Himachal Pradesh, where the crew filmed a song on the Himalayas and the Rohtang Pass. While shooting the last schedule of the film in Mumbai, sources had indicated that the lead pair had broken up. Though the media projected it as a publicity stunt for the film, it was later confirmed that the couple had indeed broken up. The title of the film was decided by a popular vote; moviegoers had a choice between Punjab Mail, Ishq Via Bhatinda and Jab We Met. To promote the film, the actors appeared separately on different television shows. Kareena Kapoor appeared as guest judge on the singing talent contest Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 whilst Shahid Kapoor appeared on Amul STAR Voice of India and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa respectively; they later appeared together on the television show Nach Baliye. Apart from this, the producers also painted two full local trains in Mumbai from the Western and Central lines with Jab We Met imagery, where Shahid Kapoor chatted up with fellow passengers and informed them about the movie. On the night of 23 October 2007, a special preview of the film was organized at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai for those associated with the film and their families.

Soundtrack

= Composed by music director, Pritam, with lyrics by Irshad Kamil, the films soundtrack was released on 21 September 2007 by lead actress, Kareena Kapoor on the musical show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007. Joginder Tuteja from indiaFM gave the music 3 ½ out of 5 stars saying, "In 2007, Pritam may have been come up with good music in number of films such as Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Awarapan, Hattrick, Kya Love Story Hai and Just Married. But if there is one album that impresses most after Life...In A Metro and turns out to be most satisfying experience, it is Jab We Met. The album is a perfect example of how to get a quality soundtrack which mixes songs for different segments of audience." The films soundtrack debuted at number 8 and later jumped up to number 5 during its second week. Over the next several weeks, the album steadily began climbing up the music charts, and saw the album sales increase after the films release. During the week of 19 November the album replaced the soundtrack of Om Shanti Om and moved up to number 1, but fell back to number 2 the following week. Despite competition from the release of newer soundtracks, the album stayed at the top for over nine weeks, and became one of the most successful albums of 2007. Jab We Mets soundtrack was featured on Rediffs and IndiaFMs year-end list of 2007s Top 10 Music Albums.

Song	Singer[s]	Duration	Notes
Mauja Hi Mauja	Mika Singh	4:04	Picturised on Shahid Kapoor & Kareena Kapoor
Tum Se Hi	Mohit Chauhan	5:23	Picturised on Shahid Kapoor & Kareena Kapoor
Yeh Ishq Hai	Shreya Ghoshal	4:44	Picturised on Shahid Kapoor & Kareena Kapoor. This song earned National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the singer Shreya Ghoshal for the year 2008.
Nagada Nagada	Sonu Nigam & Javed Ali	3:51	Picturised on Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor & Saumya Tandon
Aao Milo Chalo	Shaan & Ustad Sultan Khan	5:28	Picturised on Shahid Kapoor & Kareena Kapoor
Aaoge Jab Tum	Ustad Rashid Khan	4:25	Picturised on Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor & Tarun Arora Composed by guest composer Sandesh Shandilya
Tum Se Hi [Remix]	Mohit Chauhan	4:21
Yeh Ishq Hai [Remix]	Antara Mitra	4:31
Mauja Hi Mauja [Remix]	Mika Singh	4:07	Picturised on Shahid Kapoor & Kareena Kapoor
Tum Se Hi [Instrumental]	Instrumental	4:53

Reception

= The film opened to positive reviews on 26 October 2007 with a fairly good opening of 70% all over India and later increased to 90% during the weekend. Making a total first week net business of 11.75 crores from 350 cinemas, the film went into the second week with very strong collections and saw a massive increase with 40%-50% increment in shows worldwide. Continuing its strong march in week two with collections of over 9 crores and a two-week total of 21 crores, the film was declared a hit. During its third week, Jab We Met managed to add another 2 crores to its collections but suffered a setback due to the arrival of Farah Khans Om Shanti Om and Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Saawariya, which resulted in the number of shows for the film being reduced. Due to popular demand and the poor performance of the latter, the following week saw an increase in the number of prints for the film across the country, and resulted in a 50% increase of the films collections. Completing fifty successful days at the box office on 14 December 2007, the film received a super-hit status by BoxOffice India and continued running successfully in cinemas with greater number of shows than the much later-released, Om Shanti Om. As of February 2008, Jab We Met has made a net business of over 30 crores, and has emerged as one of the biggest hits of the year. On 30 January 2008, it was announced that to celebrate the success of its 100 days run at the box office, PVR Cinemas in Delhi would have a special screening of the film on Valentines Day. Meanwhile, Jab We Met also opened well overseas especially in the U.K., where it was released a day before its worldwide release of October 26. Debuting at number 10 in the U.K., the film grossed £ 11,488 on its advance previews night and £ 144,525 on its opening weekend, collecting a total of £ 156,013 from 31 screens. The film continued to do strong business and garnered excellent collections during its second week, making a two-week total of £ 325,996 [approx. Rs. 2.67 crores]; the film was declared a super-hit. Over the next five weeks, Jab We Met collected a total of £ 43,529 from 54 screens and made a grand total of £ 424,681 [approx. Rs. 3.30 crores].

Reviews

= Upon release, the film opened to positive reviews. Critics praised the film for its simplicity, its romance, saying that it was "one of the finest romantic films to come out of Bollywood in 2007". The films direction and performances were particularly appreciated. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM gave the film a 3.5 out of 5 rating saying it is "as refreshing as an ice-cold watermelon juice in scorching heat." Subhash K. Jha wrote, "...Jab We Met is the kind of cinematic experience that is hard to come by in this day and age of smoky cynicism and borrowed rage." Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN, who gave the film 3 stars out of 5, described it as "a film bursting with the kind of lovely little moments thatll bring a smile to your face. Most critics agreed that the main highlight of the film was the leading pair and Shahid and Kareenas chemistry. Rajeev Masand further explained, "The real magic of this film lies in the performances of its two main leads who seize your attention from the moment they first appear on screen." Taran Adarsh commented, "Shahid delivers his career-best performance in Jab We Met... Kareena is in top form as well. Jab We Met is a turning point in her career [personally as well as professionally]. Fantabulous -- thats the right word to describe her work this time. The confidence with which she handles the contrasting characterization speaks volumes. This film should do for her what Kuch Kuch Hota Hai [1998] did for Kajol." Subhash K. Jha approved the chemistry as well, "...there are sparks...and the ones between Kareena and Shahid are so unselfconsciously genuine that you end up looking at the characters rather than the two actors going through a series of brilliantly conceived and energized incidents..." The Times of India gave the film 4 out of 5 stars concluding, "The film belongs to Shahid and Kareena who pitch in memorable performances and lend a whole new meaning to the boy-meets-girl story." Joginder Tuteja from indiaglitz.com gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, described it as "Shahid-Kareenas DDLJ", and concluded that "...it would be a pain if any of the two actors do not get awarded and rewarded for their performances..." Reviews were favourably directed towards the director, Imtiaz Ali, as well. Indiatimes wrote, "After his much appreciated Socha Na Tha [2004], Imtiaz goes bigger and better and the result is nothing but flying colours" while Bollyvista.com noted, "The plot of the film has been done quiet a few times before in India, as well as internationally. What sets it apart is the excellent writing and direction by Imtiaz Ali."

Awards and nominations

= Below is an incomplete list showing the awards and nominations Jab We Met received:

Year	Presenter	Award[s]	Result
2007	HT Café Film Awards	Best Actress	Won
rowspan="21"	2008	rowspan="2"	Star Screen Awards	Best Actress	Won
Six additional nominations
rowspan="4"	Stardust Awards	Best Film [Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd.]	Won
Star of the Year - Female	Won
Editors Choice Award for Best Actor	Won
Three additional nominations
rowspan="3"	Filmfare Awards	Best Actress	Won
Best Dialogue [Imtiaz Ali]	Won
Five additional nominations
Annual Central European Bollywood Awards	Best Couple	Won
rowspan="4"	Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards	Best Actress	Won
Best Dialogue [Imtiaz Ali]	Won
Best Music [Pritam]	Won
Six additional nominations
rowspan="4"	Zee Cine Awards	Best Actress	Won
Best Track of the Year [Mauja Hi Mauja]	Won
Best Screenplay [Imtiaz Ali]	Won
Five additional nominations
rowspan="3"	International Indian Film Academy Awards	Best Actress	Won
Best Dialogue [Imtiaz Ali]	Won
Five additional nominations

Dvd

= On 7 December 2007, the film was officially released on DVD in the U.S., U.K., UAE and other international markets. A single disc collectors item in an enclosed box, the DVD contained English, Portuguese, Arabic & Spanish subtitles. In India, Jab We Mets DVD was released on 29 January in a single as well as an exclusive twin DVD pack with a price of under Rs. 50. While the films duration is 138 minutes, the additional DVD in a twin pack also has 20 minutes of special features of the films making. IndiaFM gave the DVD 4 out of 5 stars and noted, "Jab We Met is a must buy; there are absolutely no second thoughts around it. Numerous films came and went after the release of Jab We Met and the only ones which managed to make any impression were Om Shanti Om, Welcome and Taare Zameen Par. Now doesnt this explain the great run of this Imtiaz Ali film...at the box office?"

Dvd and soundtrack