Subhash Ghai rejected Aishwarya Rai for Taal, Mani Ratnam's Iruvar changed his mind: ‘She belongs to cosmetic world’

Subhash Ghai reflects on Aishwarya Rai's casting in Taal, revealing he initially doubted her due to her beauty pageant background. 

Updated on: Aug 29, 2026, 19:53:54 IST

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Subhash Ghai's 1999 hit Taal remains one of his most memorable films. Apart from the film's love story, the movie is remembered for its music and Aishwarya Rai's dance performances. However, while Aishwarya's role of Mansi in the film remains iconic, Subhash Ghai, in a recent interaction, revealed that he initially rejected the actor.

'Aish belongs to the cosmetic world'

Speaking to Times Now, the filmmaker revealed that it was Saroj Khan who recommended Aishwarya's name. However, since the actor had won the Miss World title just five years before the film's release, in 1994, he initially thought of her as belonging to the cosmetic world and did not consider her suitable to play the simple, small-town girl in the film. Saroj Khan had choreographed the film's iconic song Ramta Jogi in Taal.

The director recalled asking Saroj who, apart from Madhuri Dixit, could handle the demanding dance requirements of the character. Sharing her response, he said, “Saroj Khan recommended her name. I asked her that there are 3-4 heroines currently, and who dances the best. She took Aish’s name. I was shocked and told her that Aish belongs to the cosmetic world."

'Felt that she was more on the modelling and cosmetic side'

Subhash wasn't convinced of Aishwarya's ability to play the role until he saw her work in the Tamil film Iruvar with ace director Mani Ratnam. “I saw 1-2 films of her so I felt that she was more on the modelling and cosmetic side. A friend of mine asked me to watch her Mani Ratnam film. Mani Ratnam kept a trial for me and when I saw the Tamil movie Iruvar, I knew that she was the girl. I told her that you won’t have makeup at all in the beginning and then it would increase slowly, and you would eventually become a diva,” he recalled.

Subhash admitted that Aishwarya surrendered to his vision for Taal and lauded her commitment to the role. He even went on to compare her with Amitabh Bachchan, saying that the megastar also surrenders to the director's vision despite being one of the biggest actors in the country.

About Taal

Taal was co-written, edited, produced and directed by Subhash Ghai. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai and Akshaye Khanna in the lead roles, while Amrish Puri and Alok Nath feature in supporting roles. The film was a major commercial success at the domestic and overseas box office.

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