Mumbai: Kareena Kapoor Khan and Abhishek Bachchan made their Bollywood debuts together in J.P. Duttas Refugee (2000), marking the beginning of their acting careers.

Despite being praised for their performances, an amusing anecdote from the sets of the film highlights a moment of unintentional hilarity that Kareena later admitted to.

During an episode of Rendezvous with Simi Garewal in 2002, Kareena spoke about her bond with Abhishek and recounted a particular incident that still stands out. She revealed that while preparing for one of their first romantic scenes together, she jokingly told Abhishek, AB, this is our first romantic scene together. How can I fall in love with you? Youre like my brother!

This remark, meant as a lighthearted joke, left Abhishek flustered, especially as they were about to shoot an emotional and pivotal scene at a Dargah, where Kareenas character implores Abhisheks character to stay back instead of leaving. Years later, Abhishek humorously recalled the incident during the same Rendezvous episode, saying, I will never forgive you for ruining me in that scene.

Despite Kareenas teasing, Abhishek delivered the scene with conviction, but the moment became an inside joke between the two actors.

While speaking about Abhishek, Kareena shared that she cherished working with him in her debut film, calling him one of her closest friends and her first reel love. Abhishek reciprocated the sentiment in a heartfelt video message that aired during the episode, saying, Apart from being one of my best friends, youre also my first co-star and my first reel love, so I do share a very special bond with you.

At the time, Abhishek was engaged to Kareenas elder sister, Karisma Kapoor, which perhaps influenced Kareenas brotherly comment. Although the engagement was later called off, the bond between Kareena and Abhishek remained unaffected. Refugee may not have been a blockbuster, but it holds a special place in Bollywood history as the launchpad for two of the industrys brightest stars.