‘Twinkle Khanna couldn't carry a movie on her shoulders, she was not right for Mela': Suneel Darshan had ‘no choice' but to give in to Aamir Khan's demands

Indian Express

4 days ago

Twinkle Khanna has often admitted that she wasn't cut out for acting, and that she delivered a poor performance in the few films that she did in the 1990s. Among the most ridiculed of them is Mela, starring Aamir Khan. The movie was designed as a launch vehicle of sorts for Aamir's brother, Faisal. It flopped at the box office, ending Faisal's career, and nudging Twinkle to end hers as well. She married Akshay Kumar shortly afterwards, and turned to writing. She now makes acidic remarks about her career as a Bollywood actor. Suneel Darshan, who produced Mela, hasn't taken kindly to her comments.
In an interview with Vickey Lalwani, he said that casting Twinkle in the film was a mistake, and that it required a more seasoned star instead. Mela was directed by Suneel's brother, Dharmesh Darshan. He said, 'The original story of Mela was written be me. The title was mine. They went ahead and made the movie. They cast Twinkle Khanna in the movie, which was a miscasting. The movie needed a Karisma Kapoor, and unfortunately, she was not cast in the film. You needed a girl who could carry the movie on her shoulders. I felt that she was not right for the movie.'
Also read – 'Akshay Kumar's wife came to know of a relationship with Priyanka Chopra, it was unethical of him to quit film': Suneel Darshan
Suneel said that changes were made to the original story that he'd written, and that Aamir needed to take his permission before enforcing certain changes. The most important change, he said, was introducing the character that was played by Faisal. He wasn't a part of the original story. 'He added the brother's character. Otherwise, everything else was mine. At a later point, Aamir realised that they needed some permissions and consent. He got through to me, and I had no choice but to agree.'
In an interview with Bollywood Hungama earlier this year, Dharmesh Darshan was asked if Aishwarya Rai was the first choice for Mela. He said, 'She was. She was also my first choice for the role of Memsaab in Raja Hindustani (1996). My heart was on her. But she urgently had to go for Miss World. I didn't want to take any chances as I wanted an actress who could devote her full time to the film and Bollywood. It was her sheer grace that she didn't hold it in her heart.'
Read more – 'It was an ugly turn in her life': Karisma Kapoor became a 'trophy wife' after marriage with late husband Sunjay Kapur, says Suneel Darshan
While promoting one of her books, Twinkle had said at an event, 'I have not given any hit film. Whatever films I have done should be banned and (no one should watch) it. Most of the time, I pretend I have Alzheimer's and I don't remember my film career and it makes me happy that ways.' The film Mela had major ripple effects. Not only did it end Twinkle and Faisal's careers, it also caused a rift between Suneel and Dharmesh, which hasn't been repaired to this day.
Speaking about their falling out, Suneel admitted that their parents tried to patch things up, but that they have all realised that some things are best left alone. 'Some things don't work out. People have their own thinking, and approach, and attitude. It's best to accept and move on, instead of… My parents were always hopeful that the brothers would be together, but it was not destined to happen,' he said.