Andaaz producer Suneel Darshan spoke about the casting process of Priyanka Chopra in the film in a recent interview
Priyanka Chopra, Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutta starred in the 2003 film Andaaz
- Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta working together in the 2003 film Andaaz
- Andaaz was Priyanka Chopra`s first acting assignment
- Andaaz producer Suneel Darshan describes how Priyanka was cast in the film
Priyanka Chopra stepped into Bollywood with the 2003 film Andaaz. The Miss World winner was cast alongside Miss Universe 2000 winner, Lara Dutta, as a parallel female lead, with Akshay Kumar playing the male protagonist. Andaaz is a romantic musical film directed by Raj Kanwar and produced by Suneel Darshan.
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Both Lara Dutta and Priyanka were supposed to make their acting debut with the film. However, Priyanka's first Hindi release was The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, which debuted a month earlier.
The producer of Andaaz, in a recent interview, said that he wasn't quite impressed by Priyanka when he first met her. He had suggested that she fix her nose through surgery, according to Zoom Entertainment. "I wanted to cast a fresh face in the film, and one day, I got a call from the reception saying that someone had come to meet me with a girl. I make sure to meet whoever comes over to my office, and it was Priyanka Chopra. I looked at her and thought, ‘Really?’ I asked them to take a seat,” Darshan said in the interview.
"She was not a conventional beauty, but within 15 minutes, I knew I was going to cast her. Uski aankhein itni zabardast chalti thi, uski awaaz sexy aur nasheeli thi, uski bhook gehri thi (Her eyes were hypnotic, her voice was alluring, and her hunger to succeed was deep). These were sufficient reasons to bet on her. I told her that she was perfect for the role, and asked her to immediately fix the problem with her nose. Her father was a very, very accomplished plastic surgeon. She said, ‘No problem, sir, I'll be ready'. I told her that we were going on the floors in 10 days, but she said that she needed more time," he added.
Priyanka has spoken about the ostracization she faced for the surgery, which she has said was to treat sinus.
Darshan also praised Priyanka's hard work and determination in trying to deliver what was required of her. While shooting for Andaaz in South Africa, they found that her dancing skills were not up to the mark. They returned to Mumbai, and Priyanka was sent to choreographer Viru Krishnan to train in Bollywood dancing. For one whole month, the actress trained from 7 in the morning till midnight. "And then she was a changed girl," Darshan said.
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