Filmmaker Subhash Ghai revealed Govinda was initially offered the lead in ‘Taal’ but refused, fearing he’d only be a character actor as Akshaye Khanna would get the girl. Ghai then cast Anil Kapoor, whose performance later impressed Danny Boyle, leading to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. The film, starring Aishwarya Rai, was a hit.
Subhash Ghai recently revealed that Anil Kapoor was not the first choice for the lead role in ‘Taal’. The filmmaker revealed that he initially wrote the part for Govinda, however, the ‘Coolie No. 1’ actor rejected the offer over a surprising reason – he would not get the girl.
Subhash Ghai reveals Govinda’s words for rejecting a role in ‘Taal’
In an interview with CNN-News18, Ghai revealed that Govinda had told him that despite delivering several hits, “mere pass achchi picture nahi hai (but I don’t have a good film).” He even went on to ask the filmmaker to make a movie with him.The veteran filmmaker then stated that he wrote a character of a dancer and narrated the entire script to him. The director said, “Woh bola, heroine toh Akshaye Khanna le jata hai. Toh main aise character actor ban jaunga (He said that Akshaye Khanna is going to get the girl. Then I will become a character actor).”Subhash shared, “Maine kaha tumhe picture nahi karni chahiye, tumhe samaj nahi aayi hai (I don’t think you should be doing this film, because you haven’t understood it).”
Subhash Ghai on Akshaye Khanna and Anil Kapoor
In the same interview, the director recalled that after showcasing the songs of the film to Akshaye, he asked what he was doing in the movie. To this, the filmmaker said that he doesn’t do anything in it, except show faith in his love. The director stated that Anil went on to get an award for his role, and people still praise Akshaye for the movie.
Anil Kapoor’s post
In August 2022, as ‘Taal’ completed 23 years of its release, Anil Kapoor dropped a post on how he was destined to star in the film. He wrote, “23 years of Taal! I will forever be grateful to have been a part of this iconic movie. In many ways, I was destined to do it, as my role was first offered to Govinda but ultimately came to me. It was Taal that Danny Boyle saw, and my performance in it that made him offer me Slumdog Millionaire.I thank my lucky stars for the love and support of the phenomenally talented showman @subhashghai1 saab and for 4 hugely successful milestone films with him!” ‘Taal’ also starred Aishwarya Rai, Amrish Puri, and Alok Nath. The music was composed by AR Rahman, and the film was released on August 13, 1999. Go to Source