As Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Akshaye Khanna, and Anil Kapoor starrer ‘Taal’ gears up to celebrate its 27th anniversary on August 13, we tumbled upon a throwback interview of filmmaker Subhash Ghai, where he discussed about casting Akshaye Khanna in the musical blockbuster. In an old exclusive conversation with ETimes, Ghai looked back at the film’s casting process and revealed that Akshaye’s character was one of the most challenging, layered, and honest roles he had ever written. He also shared why he believed the actor’s sincerity and understated screen presence made him the perfect choice for the role.In a candid conversation with ETimes, he shared, “It was one of the most difficult, complex, and honest characters in my films. I wanted to make an all-star cast film, and all stars were in favor of working with me because Pardes and Khalnayak worked very well at the box office. Although the stars wanted to work with me, I did not want to work with those images of stars. I was stuck to the character I had written. I did not know whom to cast. It was easy for me to cast Anil Kapoor because I had worked with him.”
Subhash Ghai praises Akshaye Khanna
When Vinod Khanna introduced Subhash Ghai to his son Akshaye Khanna, he was immediately struck by the young actor’s intensity and honesty. “I found great intensity in that young boy. I could feel from inside that he is a character on his face who speaks the truth, thinks the truth, and acts the truth. I am glad that I cast him. Had that character been artificial, it would not have worked on screen despite good music,” Ghai remembered.Not only his charm, but Ghai is also impressed by Akshaye’s unconventional approach and commitment to authenticity. He revealed that unlike many actors who rely on agents and branding, Akshaye is selective about his roles and maintains a direct relationship with directors.“All distributors and music companies were with me even after casting a new boy. Till today, that young boy named Akshaye Khanna has not changed. He does not belong to that category of ‘baazaaru’ stars. By baazaaru, I mean the ones who depend on their agents, brands, and how they should look,” Ghai revealed.He further added, “Akshaye is a kind of an actor who, if he likes you and the subject of the film, then he surrenders to you. Then he doesn’t act funny. I have never met Akshaye Khanna’s manager. He comes straight to me. We have mutual respect and love for each other. He does very few films of his choice. He is a very unconventional star.”Subhash Ghai credited the enduring success of ‘Taal’ to the collective efforts of Akshaye Khanna, A.R. Rahman, Anand Bakshi, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Emphasising the team’s shared vision, the filmmaker said, “Akshaye Khanna made Taal a film with integrity. It is a commercial film, but it became a film with integrity because of Akshaye Khanna’s portrayal of the character. I will give full credit to A.R. Rahman, Anand Bakshi, Akshaye Khanna, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. These are the people who made Taal a great film. We were on the same page, and all of them respected the director as the captain of the ship.”
