Nobody had faith in Priyanka Chopra: Director Suneel Darshan on Andaaz casting

India Today

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When 'Andaaz' was released in 2003, it not only became a box office hit but also marked the Bollywood debut of two beauty queens - Miss Universe Lara Dutta and Miss World Priyanka Chopra. Now, more than two decades later, director Suneel Darshan is shedding light on the unexpected casting decisions that helped launch both actors' careers.In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Darshan revealed, "They were not in the film. When the film was planned, it only had Akshay Kumar. He was a part of everything that was happening."advertisementDarshan explained that, initially, he had envisioned established stars for the female leads. 'It was a foregone conclusion that either Karisma Kapoor or Kareena Kapoor would play one of the leads. Then, there was another big female star who wanted to be a part of the film - I won't name her,' he said.
'But I just thought there was no freshness coming out of it as a proposal. I said I need to do something about it,' he continued. 'There was a little bit of difference on certain issues with one of them. Also, I felt they were not complimenting each other in the film. So, I had to find two girls who could compliment each other," he said as he explained his choices.HOW LARA DUTTA LANDED THE ROLESpeaking about how Lara Dutta came on board, Darshan said, 'Destiny played its game. Lara was known. She had done a photo shoot with Akshay Kumar for a Filmfare cover, and I had seen that. I said, 'That was interesting.' So, I called for her. She was in Bangalore, where her parents lived. She came in immediately.'advertisementHe continued, 'The next morning, she was in town and we spoke. She was more than happy to be a part of the cinema because she had actually done videos before that - which I didn't know at the time. Maybe if I had known, I would have had second thoughts. But I thought she was fresh, she was available, and we wanted to make a movie in a quick timeframe.' PRIYANKA CHOPRA - 'THIS IS REKHA COMING BACK'Darshan went on to recount how Priyanka Chopra came into the picture. 'The second lead had to be someone who could match Lara. And out of the blue, again destiny played its game. I was sitting in my chamber, and I got a call. An actor's secretary had come with a girl he wanted to introduce me to.''My system is - when a newcomer comes in, I meet them. That day, it was Prakash Jaju, who was Priyanka Chopra's secretary. She was Miss World,' he recalled.Initially, Darshan admitted he wasn't particularly impressed. 'My first response was not wow. But later, she groomed herself - evolved is the right word. Fifteen minutes into the conversation, I observed her eyes and said to myself, 'Iski aankhein kya kamaal hai, aur iski awaaz Rekha ki yaad dilati hai.''advertisementHe added, 'That day I was sure - this is Rekha coming back. I had known Rekha ji earlier. But except for me, nobody else involved in the film saw that or had faith. They were more supportive of Lara and her personality. Priyanka was a different ball game. But I was very sure Priyanka Chopra was going to be a top star."'AKSHAY KUMAR WAS SUPPORTIVE'Speaking about Akshay Kumar's response to the casting, Darshan said, 'Akshay's reactions to all his heroines have always been very pleasant and courteous. He's never said, 'No, I don't want to work with someone.' Never. He never told me anything like that, ever.'WERE PRIYANKA AND LARA FRIENDS ON SET?On their equation during the shoot, Darshan remarked, 'They were Punjabi kudis. Whatever the competition was between them, on set it felt like an all-Punjabi crew — Akshay talking Punjabi, Lara talking Punjabi, Priyanka talking Punjabi. It was quite funny, but that's the way it was.'He further stated, 'They were buddies. Lara, Priyanka, Bipasha, Celina - five or six of them had come around the same time. I thought they were basically friends in their own right. The competition may have been there, but it never showed on the sets.'Must Watch