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Shankar opened up about how Anil Kapoor and Rani Mukerji came on board as the film’s lead.
Twenty years ago, S. Shankar's Nayak came out. Even though it wasn't a hit upon its release, the Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Amrish Puri and Paresh Rawal starrer enjoys cult status now. We take you back in history to tell you how the lead actors were chosen as we celebrate 20 years of political action film. Did you know that Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan were also considered for the role of Shivaji Rao?
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The director spoke candidly about the cast of the film and shared interesting trivia about it in a previous conversation. Continue reading to learn more.
Shankar spoke out about the process of Anil Kapoor's and Rani Mukerji joining Filmfare as the film’s lead during an interview with Filmfare. While stating that he first approached Aamir Khan to play the journalist-turned-politician, the Nayak director said, "But the two of us faced a huge communication gap. His views on Mudhalvan (1999), didn't align with mine so I quickly moved forward."
Continuing further about the casting for Nayak's lead role, Shankar revealed that after Aamir he approached Shah Rukh Khan to play the role, finally essayed by Anil Kapoor. Aamir said that Shah Rukh was more open than Aamir, but Shankar argued that he didn't want to take on the role because he had been a TV reporter in his own production Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000), which was just released.
The director finally revealed the details of how Anil Kapoor got the role. Boney Kapoor had sent him a message stating that he would be happy to work alongside him. According to the filmmaker, "I heard Anil was one the most disciplined actors of Hindi cinema so I signed him on." My gamble paid off. My film was completed by Anil Kapoor in record time. He also displayed a level discipline that I thought was only possible down South.
Nayak's director shed some light on the reasons he chose to cast Mukerji in the role of female lead. Shankar spoke out about Rani being cast as the village belle Manjari, instead of Manisha Koirala in the original film. Manisha is an excellent actress, but she has been in Hindi cinema for over a decade. Manisha could be cast in Tamil because she isn’t very visible in the South. Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta were the best candidates for Hindi.
Would you love to have seen Rani in Nayak and Anil Kapoor play the lead roles? We'd love to hear from you in the comments section.
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