Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan made their Bollywood debuts together in J.P. Dutta’s romance Refugee, released in 2000. But did you know that Kareena once said that she thought of Abhishek like a brother?

A brotherly bond

On an episode of Rendezvous with Simi Garewal that aired in 2002, Kareena Kapoor was in conversation with the host about Abhishek and their romantic scenes in Refugee. While talking to Abhishek Bachchan during the shoot of the movie, she said “AB this is our first romantic scene together, and how can I fall in love with you? You’re like my brother.” Abhishek was engaged to Kareena's elder sister Karisma. The engagement later broke off and he married Aishwarya Rai in 2007 and Karisma married Sunjay Kapur in 2003. They split in 2016.

Kareena ruined Abhishek?

During the episode, a clip of Abhishek Bachchan talking to the audience played where he spilled the details of this incident on set, adding “I will never forgive you for ruining me in that scene.” The scene Abhishek was referring to in the movie took place at the Dargah, during which Kareena’s character asks Abhishek’s character to stay back when he informs her that he has to leave, marking one of the first romantic scenes in the movie.

The clip of AB aired on the show that also included a sweet message for Kareena, where he mentions “Apart from being one of my best friends, you’re also my first co-star and my first “reel” love, so I do share a very special bond with you,” considering the two Bollywood superstars made their debut in the industry together with Refugee. “I couldn’t have asked for anything but to work in my first film with him,” added Kareena, in conversation with Simi Garewal.

Refugee recently marked 24 years since its release on June 30th, and Kareena Kapoor posted a reel of clips from the movie on her Instagram to mark the date. Her caption says “24 years of discovering myself and my characters. The best is yet to come… Love you all…” celebrating her time in the industry since she made her debut with this movie.

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