Salman Khan Wanted Katrina Kaif As His Co-Star In Wanted, But Boney Kapoor Had A Different Idea
Salman Khan’s Wanted remains one of the most important films of his career in terms of creating a popular mass action actor. The Prabhu Deva-directed film has enjoyed huge popularity and is still remembered for its action sequences, punchy dialogues and Salman Khan’s strong presence on screen. Producer Boney Kapoor has now revealed some interesting casting trivia about the film. Salman himself had suggested Katrina Kaif’s name for the female lead.
Wanted was the Hindi remake of the 2006 Telugu blockbuster Pokiri, directed by Puri Jagannadh and starring Mahesh Babu and Ileana D'Cruz. Boney Kapoor felt that Salman Khan was a perfect choice to play the central character Radhe, also known as Rajveer Shekhawat in the Hindi version.
But getting Salman to watch the original Telugu film was not easy. Boney Kapoor said he had arranged two preview screenings so Salman could watch Pokiri, but the actor's hectic schedule prevented him from attending them. The producer was worried that the Tamil remake could be released before he secured the Hindi remake rights, and as a result, the project might be challenged.
Salman soon watched Pokiri and agreed to headline the Hindi remake. Prabhu Deva was chosen as director, and Boney Kapoor produced the movie. What followed was casting discussions that could have resulted in a very different pairing on screen.
Salman suggested Katrina Kaif to play the heroine, according to Boney Kapoor. The duo of Salman and Katrina was already a popular on-screen couple, having worked together in films such as Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? and Partner. Their chemistry was well known to local audiences and Katrina had already established herself as one of the leading actresses in Hindi cinema.
But Boney Kapoor saw the character differently. He felt that the female protagonist’s initial uncertainty about her feelings for Radhe would have been better in the beginning if the actress had not been linked with Salman Khan. The producer opted not to cast Katrina and considered actresses who could bring a fresh energy to the relationship.
Some names were discussed in the casting process, including Genelia D’Souza. Eventually, Ayesha Takia was chosen for Jhanvi, and her pairing with Salman became one of the most memorable moments for Wanted, with the actress bringing a new energy into the romantic aspects of the action-based movie.
The decision was successful. Wanted was a huge box-office hit and a major factor in the Salman Khan phenomenon that we saw in the next 10 years. The actor had already made movies before Wanted, but the movie revived his career and established a formula around larger-than-life action, mass entertainment and his own persona on screen.
Boney Kapoor even has gone against the idea that Wanted should be seen as Salman’s comeback. Speaking about the movie, he said that many people describe it as the actor's comeback. However, the film came after he’d made so many successful and commercially significant appearances in Salman’s career that it is not just a comeback story.
Katrina Kaif's casting is a further intriguing element of Wanted’s history. If Boney Kapoor had taken Salman’s advice, Katrina and Salman would have united in another action-romance team-up at once. But the producer’s choice of hiring Ayesha Takia created a connection that became so closely associated with the film that the filmmakers could not ignore it.
And so far, Wanted is still one of Salman Khan's popular movies over a decade after its release. It also helped define the kind of mass-oriented cinema that became an essential part of the actor’s identity. Katrina’s casting is one of the most telling examples of how the small decisions made in the pre-production of the film are so important and can end up being Bollywood trivia decades down the line.
Latest Movies Trailer
Comments
Please to leave a comment on this article.