‘Aishwarya was cosmetic’: Subhash Ghai recalls casting her in Taal

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai has revealed how late choreographer Saroj Khan helped him discover Aishwarya Rai for the lead role in his 1999 musical hit Taal, while admitting he initially doubted whether she could play the character.

Speaking to Times Now in a recent interview, Ghai recalled asking Saroj Khan who, apart from Madhuri Dixit, could handle the demanding dance requirements of the role of Mansi, a talented young woman from a small town.

Khan recommended Aishwarya, but Ghai said he was surprised by the suggestion because the actor had recently emerged from the beauty-pageant world after winning the Miss World title in 1994.

“I felt Aishwarya was cosmetic,” Ghai recalled, explaining that he initially associated her more with modelling and beauty contests than with the grounded character he wanted.

His opinion changed after he watched Mani Ratnam’s 1997 Tamil film Iruvar, in which Aishwarya made her acting debut.

Ghai said a friend encouraged him to watch the film, after which Mani Ratnam arranged a trial for him. “When I saw the Tamil movie Iruvar, I knew that she was the girl,” he recalled.

Ghai then told Aishwarya that she would have to appear without makeup during the opening portion of Taal to shed her glamorous image. She agreed to follow his vision.

Released 27 years ago, Taal starred Aishwarya alongside Anil Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna, with music by AR Rahman. The film became a major commercial success and remains known for its music and dance sequences.

Ghai has also recently revealed that the script for Taal 2 is nearly complete, although he insists the sequel should not be built around stars.