Subhash Ghai’s Taal was not only remembered for its celebrated soundtrack composed by AR Rahman, but also for bringing together Aishwarya Rai and Akshaye Khanna, two young actors who were still taking their early steps in the Hindi film industry. Both were only a few films into their careers, but Taal became a significant turning point for them, placing them firmly in the public eye.
Recently, Ghai looked back on the making of Taal, particularly the casting of Aishwarya and Akshaye, and recalled the reactions he faced for choosing relatively new actors for a film of such scale. Despite the doubts around his choices, the filmmaker remained convinced that the film needed fresh faces.
Aishwarya Rai, meanwhile, came into the film through a recommendation from veteran choreographer Saroj Khan. Having recently won the Miss World pageant, Aishwarya was already associated with the world of beauty and glamour when Ghai was looking for someone who could also carry the demands of the film’s dance sequences.
Subhash Ghai recalled approaching Saroj Khan for a suggestion.
“When Ash’s name came up, she had come from the cosmetics world. There were four or five names, so I asked Saroj ji, apart from Madhuri, who else could we cast. She said Aishwarya.”
Ghai said he was conscious of the image Aishwarya Rai had acquired through her pageant career and wanted to strip it away for the character she played in Taal.
The filmmaker recalled telling her that she would have to appear without makeup in the opening hour of the film. He added, “Aishwarya had this image from the cosmetic world. I called her, she came, and I told her that I need to destroy your image. But you will be doing no makeup in the first hour. She said, ‘Yes, I will do whatever you say.’ As a director, you have to think about your character.”
Released in 1999, Taal was a musical romantic drama written, produced and directed by Subhash Ghai, with Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai and Akshaye Khanna in the lead roles. The film went on to become a major commercial success in India and overseas.
