Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar revealed how Jee Le Zaraa, a road trip film starring actors Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif, was envisaged in a new interview. Calling it ‘serendipity’, she revealed that Alia Bhatt and Katrina had got in touch with her for a film, after Priyanka Chopra had called them. Zoya said at that time, they were unaware that her brother, director-actor Farhan Akhtar had also wanted to make an all-girls film. Earlier this year, Farhan had announced his new project, Jee Le Zaraa, with Priyanka, Alia and Katrina.
In an interview with Film Companion, Zoya Akhtar called the three actors ‘massive’ and ‘distinct personalities’, saying that each was different from the other. She said, “Farhan had an idea that he had bounced, saying ‘I want to do this with girls’. He had come up with it and wanted to do this.” She added that she was contacted independently by the actors, who said that they wanted to work together as Priyanka had called them. “It just aligned. And I think if this had happened 10 years ago, it would have happened if these were the same players.”
Earlier this year, Priyanka had shared on Instagram, explaining how the film came about. “Let’s rewind, to me musing about wanting to do another Hindi movie ASAP, on an unusually rainy night in Mumbai in Nov 2019. But it had to be the right one – different, cool, never been done before… I thought. The idea grew into a movie helmed by an all-female cast. There are not enough Hindi movies that are female multi-starrers. This led to an impulsive phone call… to my 2 real friends about this idea that involved 3 on-screen girlfriends. A celebration of friendship we called it!!”
She added, “Katrina, Alia, and I enthusiastically met in February 2020 (as seen in this picture), just before the world shut down, to discuss who we could trust to bring this vision to life for us and our choice was unanimous… Farhan and Ritesh, Zoya and Reema. We had all worked with @excelmovies and @tigerbabyfilms individually so this seemed perfect. It just so happened that Farhan was working on a female road trip movie at the same time! Talk about all the stars aligning!!” She mentioned that it took ‘3 years to align the schedules’ but they ‘stuck together’.
Written by Zoya Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar and Reema Kagti, the film will release in 2023.
