Alagh as Mrs. Verma Raja Vaid as Ronnie Production Mujhse Dosti Karoge! marked Kunal Kohli's directorial debut in Hindi Cinema. The media reported that the film was based on the 1996 American romantic comedy The Truth About Cats & Dogs, but Kohli explained that "not one scene from it is the same. There is a track dealing with mistaken identity, but it isn't a rip-off." It was produced by Yash Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films, and Aditya Chopra co-wrote the story and screenplay with Kohli. The dialogue was written by Kohli. Neil Nitin Mukesh served as the assistant director. Rani Mukherji, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor were cast as the leads; it marked the latter two's third collaboration, after Yaadein (2001) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001). Mukherji, who features as Pooja Sahani, said that she "loved every moment of working" on Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, and described the film as a "privilege" for her. Roshan portrays Raj Khanna, a part that he compared with his role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000). He spoke of his rapport with Mukherji, claiming that it "was a pleasure working with her. She is very professional, very friendly and easygoing. She leaves all negativity behind when she comes on the sets." Interviewed by Rediff.com, he said that Mujhse Dosti Karoge! was "a very, very intense film", adding, "The second half is propelled forward by the intensity of my character." He further stated that the film "more [...] about 3 friends than a love triangle". Meanwhile, Kapoor stars as the fun-loving girl Tina Kapoor. She was initially reluctant to star in the film, because she was to play the film's second female lead after Mukherji. However, according to The Times of India, Kohli and Chopra convinced her to accept it. She found the role to be "very glamorous, typical of what people would expect of me", and believed that her fans, especially male, would like it. She noted, "I play a loser, yet emerge the winner. This is not a goody-goody heroine who gets the hero. My role has better scope. I am the life of the film. The other characters are sad most of the time." To prepare for her introductory scene, the actress did not eat for 3-4 days (this was inconsistently reported) as she wanted to "look great as it involved exposing my midriff". Moreover, Kapoor confessed that her