On May 23, Andaaz, starring Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta completed 19 years. The film’s casting was spot-on, and all the three leads fit into their parts effortlessly. However, a lot happened before Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta were cast in this romantic musical.
Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to producer Suneel Darshan on Andaaz’s 19th anniversary. As per the trivia on the internet, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Karisma Kapoor were the first choices for Andaaz.
When asked if this was true, Suneel Darshan said, “Kareena was never a part of the film. Karisma Kapoor was the first choice for the role which was played by Lara Dutta. I was just as enthusiastic to have Karisma as she was to be a part of Andaaz. She has been a part of every movie of mine. Unfortunately, we couldn’t come to terms with certain aspects.”
Suneel Darshan continued, “We had to cast someone immediately as the shooting was to begin in 7 days. We didn’t have the liberty of time and hence, we didn’t even offer it to any established heroine. Meanwhile, I had seen Lara Dutta with Akshay Kumar posing on a Filmfare cover. She was in Bengaluru and I asked her to fly down. She was a part of some music videos, where she was hardly visible. Yet, I trusted her as she seemed dignified. So, I felt that she would suit the role of Kajal.”
And how was Priyanka Chopra cast? Suneel Darshan replied, “For that, we faced challenges. Some prominent stars were interested in doing the role of Jia. But since a new girl was cast for the role of Kajal, casting an established girl would not have worked for the second female lead. That’s when I wondered why not cast two new girls? I was figuring this out when Priyanka Chopra walked into my office with her secretary. Then, she got finalized in 2 or 3 movies, even shot for them and then those films got stalled.”
Suneel was all praises for Priyanka, “My first impression of her was that she was very ordinary. 10 minutes into the conversation with her, I realized that she had amazing eyes and a great voice. There was a bit of a problem with the nose, but she said she could sort it out. She knew the art of having you under control in a very short spell. I realized that this works big time. For the role of Jia, we needed a bubbly vivacious performer, like Sridevi, who can liven the second half of the movie.”
He added, “Priyanka Chopra reminded me of someone from the film industry who has evolved into a fine actress. That someone is Rekha and I felt that Priyanka Chopra is going to go the same way. If you see, she’s among the finest actresses that we have had in a long time.”
In a nutshell, did Karisma Kapoor leave Andaaz seven days before the shoot? Suneel Darshan clarified, “No, Karisma didn’t leave. She was never there. It was taken for granted that she’ll be a part of the film as that was the kind of association we had.”
More Pages: Andaaz Box Office Collection
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