Filmmaker Subhash Ghai, marking the 27th anniversary of his 1999 directorial Taal, discusses the casting process behind the film’s lead role for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. He says he warned Rai that to portray the character convincingly, he needed to significantly reshape her public persona and “destroy” the image audiences associated with her.
According to NDTV and IOL, Ghai describes Rai’s prior “image” as being connected to the cosmetic world and says she agreed to proceed with his direction. The outlets present the same core account: Ghai characterizes the casting as a risk because it required a major change in how Rai was perceived, and he frames this as central to meeting the demands of the role.
