Forget about being selected or rejected Kareena Kapoor was not even considered for Vivah. Sooraj Barjatya’s requirement for Vivah was someone who could effortlessly portray simple, graceful and traditional qualities on-screen.
The need was for a very pretty, very Indian face to embody the innocence of a traditional small-town girl of Mathura.
Amrita Rao was selected for her natural grace, innocence and girl-next-door charm which were the key elements of Sooraj Barjatya’s “Poonam”.
Her screen presence, soft demeanour and classic features made her a family-oriented girl opposite Shahid Kapoor's character, Prem.
Barjatya was particularly moved by her brief and impactful performance in, The Legend of Bhagat Singh.
The Kareena angle emerged as Shahid-Kareena were dating at that time and widely adored as real-life couple. Because of their off-screen romance audience speculated and expressed a strong desire to see her opposite Shahid Kapoor. Even Shahid Kapoor mentioned at the time of the film’s release that he would love to do a film like Vivah with Kareena.
The other reason being that the two had showcased excellent screen presence in Fida and 36 China Town.
On a humorous note, the way Barjatya managed to bring out Kareena's performance in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, he won't even think of casting her again, at least not for a film like Vivah.
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