Latest news with #Andaaz
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Director of 'Andaaz,' Suneel Darshan, compares Priyanka Chopra's voice to Rekha's
Director Suneel Darshan revealed 'Andaaz' was initially meant to star Karisma or Kareena Kapoor. Seeking better chemistry, he cast Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra instead. Impressed by Priyanka's presence, he predicted her stardom. Akshay Kumar's respectful nature and the friendly set atmosphere made filming enjoyable. Back in 2003, the film 'Andaaz' made waves by introducing Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra to Bollywood audiences. However, in an interview, director Suneel Darshan disclosed that these two actresses were not originally intended to star in the movie. Initial Casting Plans Talking to Inda Today, Suneel revealed that when planning 'Andaaz', he initially intended to cast established actresses like Karisma Kapoor or Kareena Kapoor alongside Akshay Kumar . At that time, Akshay was involved in every aspect of the project, and it was almost certain that one of the Kapoor sisters would play a lead role. Additionally, another prominent female star had shown interest in joining the film, though Suneel chose not to disclose her name. Need for Freshness and Better Chemistry He mentioned that he felt the initial casting lacked freshness and thus, he decided that something needed to be changed. There were some disagreements on certain issues with one of the actresses, and he also believed that the pair did not complement each other well on screen. Consequently, he sought two actresses who would better complement each other in the film. First Meeting with Priyanka Chopra Recalling his first meeting with Priyanka Chopra, Suneel explained that the second lead needed to be someone who could match Lara Dutta. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Unexpectedly, destiny intervened when he received a call while sitting in his chamber. An actor's secretary had come with a girl to introduce him. Following his usual approach of meeting newcomers, he agreed to meet Priyanka, who was the reigning queen of a global beauty pageant at the time. Initially, he was not impressed, but as she groomed and evolved herself, his opinion changed. About fifteen minutes into their conversation, he noticed her remarkable eyes and felt her voice reminded him of the legendary actress Rekha. Confidence in Priyanka's Star Potential The filmmaker mentioned that on that day, he was convinced Priyanka Chopra was like Rekha returning, someone he had known before. However, no one else involved in the film shared his belief or had faith in her potential. Most were more supportive of Lara Dutta and her personality. Priyanka, he said, was a different case altogether, but he was very confident that she would become a top star. On-Set Atmosphere and Akshay Kumar's Courtesy Suneel said that Akshay was always polite and respectful towards his co-stars. He also noted that the working environment on set was lively and enjoyable, especially since the three actors often chatted with each other in Punjabi, adding a fun and friendly vibe to the shoot. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Andaaz director Suneel Darshan recalls Priyanka Chopra's voice reminded him of Rekha, says ‘Nobody had faith in her…'
In 2003, the audience witnessed quite a remarkable feat with the film Andaaz, as it featured Miss Universe Lara Dutta and Miss World Priyanka Chopra. Recently, in an exclusive interview with India Today, the film's director, Suneel Darshan, revealed that both actresses who made their debut with Andaaz were not the first choice. Suneel shared that he initially wanted to cast an established actress like Karisma Kapoor or Kareena Kapoor in Andaaz along with Akshay Kumar. The filmmaker said, '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. 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.' Also Read: 'Priyanka Chopra's father was diagnosed with cancer but she never showed vulnerability, broke down': Arjan Bajwa recalls Fashion co-star's strength He added, 'But I just thought there was no freshness coming out of it as a proposal. I said I need to do something about it, there was a little bit of difference on certain issues with one of them. Also, I felt they were not complementing each other in the film. So, I had to find two girls who could complement each other.' Opening up about Lara Dutta's casting in the film, Suneel Darshan shared, 'Destiny played its game. Lara was known. She had done a photo shoot with Akshay Kumar for a magazine 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. 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.' Recalling his first meeting with Priyanka Chopra, Suneel said, '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. 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 (Her eyes are so wonderful, and her voice reminds me of Rekha).'' A post shared by BVLGARI Official (@bvlgari) '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,' the filmmaker added. Suneel Darshan even shared how Akshay Kumar was very courteous to his leading ladies and revealed that the set became quite fun with all three actors communicating in Punjabi. Andaaz was released in 2003 and went on to become a hit at the box office.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Priyanka Chopra's voice reminded Andaaz producer Suneel Darshan of Rekha: ‘Nobody had faith in her'
After winning the Miss World title, Priyanka Chopra began her Bollywood journey with the film The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. She followed it with Andaaz, for which she was praised for her performance. Now, in an interview with India Today, Andaaz producer Suneel Darshan has revealed how Priyanka's voice reminded him of Rekha. (Also Read: Priyanka Chopra shot Fashion amid her father's cancer diagnosis, says co-star Arjan Bajwa: 'She is a very strong girl') Suneel shared that the search for the second lead required someone who could match Lara Dutta's presence. The filmmaker recalled sitting in his chamber when he received a call — an actor's secretary had arrived with a young woman he wanted to introduce to him. Following his usual practice of meeting newcomers personally, he agreed to the meeting. That day, the visitor was Prakash Jaju, the secretary of none other than Miss World, Priyanka Chopra. Suneel admitted that he wasn't particularly impressed initially. He said, '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 (She has such beautiful eyes and her voice reminds of Rekha).'' He 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.' Directed by Raj Kanwar and produced by Suneel Darshan, Andaaz was a romantic musical starring Lara Dutta, Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles. The film revolves around Raj (Akshay), a young man who falls in love with his best friend, Kajal (Lara). However, his love remains unspoken, and Kajal ends up marrying someone else. Heartbroken, Raj moves on with life and eventually meets Jiya (Priyanka), a vibrant and independent woman who falls in love with him. Just as Raj begins to consider a future with Jiya, his past resurfaces, complicating their relationship. The film was a major box office success.
India Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Nobody had faith in Priyanka Chopra: Director Suneel Darshan on Andaaz casting
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' 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 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 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
News18
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
DYK This Actress Almost Drowned During Her Debut Film Shoot With Akshay Kumar
Last Updated: Lara Dutta is geared up for the release of director Ahmed Khan's Welcome to the Jungle. Remember the 2003 film Andaaz? Headlined by Akshay Kumar, the romantic musical became a hit upon its release. The credit goes to the emotionally resonant storyline, foot-tapping songs and the superb performances. Akshay Kumar's signature charm worked like magic, making the Raj Kanwar directorial etched fondly in our memories. While Priyanka Chopra played the female lead in Andaaz, another actress made her debut with the film. She is none other than the winner of Miss Universe 2000 — Lara Dutta. Lara Dutta came from a non-film background. His father, retired Wing Commander LK Dutta, was the personal pilot of India's former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Interestingly, Lara also played the role of Indira Gandhi in the 2021 film Bell Bottom. During one of the interviews back then, Lara revealed that she took insights from her father. Before entering the world of glitz and glam, Lara Dutta participated in several pageant competitions. However, her most significant achievement came after bagging the coveted Miss Universe crown. Just three years later, she made her foray into Bollywood with Andaaz. Audiences loved Lara's tomboyish character Kajal. But do you know, she almost drowned while shooting for the film? According to a report by The Times of India, the incident happened while Lara Dutta was filming the song sequence — Rabba Ishq Na Hove in Cape Town. A powerful wave struck a rock during the high tide, which caught Lara off guard. She lost her balance and fell into the water. Since the actress did not know how to swim, she was being swept away by the current. That's when Akshay Kumar came to her rescue. He jumped into the water and saved her life. Lara Dutta has been a part of some commercially successful films like Masti (2004), No Entry (2005), Bhagam Bhag (2006), Partner (2007), Billu Barber (2009) and Housefull (2010) to name a few. At present, she is geared up for the release of director Ahmed Khan's Welcome to the Jungle. The film also stars Akshay Kumar, Jacqueliene Fernandez, Sanjay Dutt, Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal in key roles. On the personal front, Lara Dutta married Indian tennis legend Mahesh Bhupathi in 2011. The couple welcomed their daughter, Saira, in 2012. First Published:
