Trivia: Kareena Kapoor Khan had said no to Kangana Ranaut's 'Mental Hai Kya'

Last week, Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao took everyone by surprise with the quirky and zany posters for their upcoming film Mental Hai Kya. Not much has been revealed about the plot, except that it celebrates the ability to stand out in a crowd. But did you know that Kareena Kapoor Khan was the first choice for the movie? Says a source from the team, “In 2013, Ekta had pitched the idea to Bebo. She wanted to get Kareena and Emraan Hashmi on board for the film, which was previously titled Badtameez Dil. But it never materialised.”

KAREENA FELT THE MOVIE WAS TOO BOLD

The reason Badtameez Dil never took off was that Kareena wasn’t game for it. Adds our source, “Bebo felt that the storyline was way ahead of its time. It was dark and explosive in many ways. It also had several bold scenes and nudity. Kareena politely refused the film and it was put on the back burner.”

KANGANA’S THE PERFECT FIT

Now, five years later, the makers have altered the script a bit. Says the source, “The team has reworked the story, which has turned out even bolder now. Kangana loved it and agreed to do the film immediately.” After she came on board, the producer roped in Rajkummar. “Ekta feels people are ready for a film like this and Kangana is perfect to play the main role. There’s no denying that she’s a terrific actress. Her never-give-a-damn attitude echoes with her on-screen character, too,” adds the source.