'Iski awaaz Rekha ki yaad dilati hai...' Suneel Darshan reveals how he cast Priyanka Chopra in Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar

Andaaz casting

Andaaz wasn’t just a commercial hit—it also marked a turning point for two reigning beauty queens of the time. The film introduced Miss Universe Lara Dutta to Bollywood and played a crucial role in launching the film career of Miss World Priyanka Chopra, setting both on the path to stardom.

Now, more than two decades later, director Suneel Darshan is providing new insight into the backstage casting decisions that made the debutantes famous, exposing that their inclusion was not at all what was originally intended.

Darshan disclosed that the film was initially intended as a solo-hero venture centred solely on Akshay Kumar. “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,” he stated.

According to the director, the initial vision for Andaaz involved roping in well-established actresses. He told India Today, “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 shared.

However, Darshan found something lacking in that early casting vision. “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 said. Differences over creative aspects with one of the prospective leads and a lack of on-screen harmony between potential pairs compelled him to reconsider. “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 explained.

Darshan detailed how fate played a role in casting Lara Dutta. He recalled, “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.”

“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,” he elaborated.

Speaking about Priyanka Chopra’s entry into the film, Darshan said her casting too was a matter of chance. “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.”

It was Prakash Jaju, Priyanka’s manager at the time, who introduced her. Darshan admitted that his first impression of her wasn’t overwhelming. “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.’”

“That day I was sure – this is Rekha coming back,” he remarked, adding that although most people involved in the film were initially more taken with Lara, he felt strongly about Priyanka’s potential. “Priyanka was a different ball game. But I was very sure Priyanka Chopra was going to be a top star.”

Darshan also praised Akshay Kumar’s professional and supportive nature. “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.”

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Addressing rumours about tension between the two leading ladies, Darshan dispelled any talk of rivalry. “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 concluded by noting the camaraderie shared among newcomers of that era. “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.”