As ‘Taal’ clocks 18, Subhash Ghai reveals why he chose Shahid for the song

The magical and the musical, ‘Taal’, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna had released on August 13, 1999. The film turned out to be a beautiful experience for the viewers and then went on to become one of the most successful films till date.

Well, this film is also special for one more person. For ages we weren’t aware of the fact that Shahid Kapoor too was a part of this film. He appeared in a song titled, ‘Jab Aag Laage‘ wherein he could be seen draping saree over Aishwarya’s face. Hardly anyone could notice that it was Shahid when the film released, but when people got to know that it was him, everyone was in awe of him. So as ‘Taal’ clocks 18 years of its release, Subhash Ghai has recalled how the casting of Shahid Kapoor just for a blink and miss appearance in the film took place. (Also Read: Hot stuff! 7 shirtless snaps of Shahid Kapoor to pump up your weekend)

“He was a member of the Shiamak Davar dance troupe. He looked smart and I wanted a good-looking boy, who could drape Aishwarya’s face during the song sequence. So I asked for him. But I didn’t know that his name was Shahid, or that he was Pankaj Kapur’s son. Nor did I know that he was going to become such a big star in Bollywood,” director Subhash Ghai informed a daily.

The ace filmmaker also recalled how film received negative remarks initially. He was quoted saying, “The film opened to really poor reviews, and was slammed by everybody. They said that the film will only do well because of the music. There were also comments like Subhash Ghai’s time is over, and many things like that. But then, I think the audience didn’t take it seriously and kept going to the theatres in numbers to watch the film.”

Nikita Thakkar

A strongly opinionated, free-spirited, budding Bollywood journalist, she likes to write anything in her own quirky style. When not running around to get assigned tasks completed, you will find her either painting, indulging in photography or dreaming in the la la land.