4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Oct 22, 2025 06:34 PM IST
When Subhash Ghai released his film Taal in 1999, featuring the musical brilliance of A.R. Rahman, it went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Notably, it was also the first Indian film to reach the Top 20 on Variety’s box-office list. The musical drama starred Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, and Akshaye Khanna in lead roles. But did you know that the film owes its existence, in part, to actor Govinda?
After delivering multiple hits throughout the late 80s and 90s, Govinda once visited Subhash Ghai—who himself had a strong track record of box-office successes as a director. According to Ghai in an interview with CNN-News18, Govinda said to him, “Subhash ji, I have given several hits in my career, but I still don’t have a truly good role. Can you please write something for me?”
This request inspired the filmmaker to begin writing a new film, which eventually became Taal. Subhash Ghai revealed, “I wrote a dancer’s character for him. But when I narrated the script, he said, ‘Akshaye Khanna is taking away the heroine. I will be reduced to a character actor.’” This response shocked the filmmaker, who immediately replied, “I don’t think you should be doing this film, because you haven’t understood it.”
The role initially intended for Govinda was then offered to Anil Kapoor, who went on to win several Best Supporting Actor awards for his performance, including the SCREEN Award.
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Ghai emphasised that he only worked with actors who fully surrendered themselves to his vision. Using Akshaye Khanna as an example, he shared, “Akshaye, who was fairly new at the time, heard the script and asked, ‘What am I doing in this film? I am doing nothing.’ I told him, ‘That’s exactly your character—someone who does nothing.’ He accepted that, and in the end, while Anil Kapoor won awards, people still say this was one of Akshaye’s best performances. That’s the kind of trust needed between a director and an actor.”
He further explained, “I never let any of my actors question anything on set. They were expected to work with me like students. I can’t work with actors who want to be my partners. My films are one-man vision. If an actor was more interested in hits or flops, I would show them the door. That’s why I managed to deliver 14 hit films out of the 18 I directed.”
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Subhash Ghai had initially entered Hindi cinema as an actor, playing small roles in films like Taqdeer (1967) and Aradhana (1969), followed by lead roles in Umang and Gumraah. However, acting didn’t prove fruitful for him.
He eventually found his true calling behind the camera, thanks in part to veteran star Shatrughan Sinha. Subhash made his directorial debut with Kalicharan in 1976, which became a major box-office success. The film opened many doors for him and paved the way for his career as a full-time filmmaker, with hits like Vishwanath (1978) and later iconic films such as Ram Lakhan. In total, he directed 19 films, out of which 14 were massive box-office successes, cementing his legacy in Indian cinema.
Anil Kapoor replaced Govinda in Taal. (Photo: Express Archive)