EXCLUSIVE: Andaaz Director Suneel Darshan Reveals His Team Assumed Lara Dutta Was The Lead; Admits, “Priyanka Was A Different Ball Game”

Suneel Darshan introduced Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra through his film Andaaz. Both these actresses have won the title of Miss World. While promoting his upcoming film Andaaz 2, the filmmaker sat for an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble. The director reflected on casting both Miss Universe and Miss World in the same film.

Suneel Darshan On Casting Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra In Andaaz

Suneel Darshan opened up on casting Miss Universe and Miss World, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra, respectively, in Andaaz. He said, “You know, meri unit mein top to bottom sab log yeh hi soch rahe the, ‘Lara Dutta is the one.’ Lara Dutta was very good — very dignified, wonderful to work with also. But yeah, Priyanka was a different ball game altogether. According to me, as I told you, she is the icon for the new generations that came after. And that’s what makes it more and more challenging.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Suneel Darshan (@suneeldarshan)

About Andaaz

Andaaz was a 2003 Indian Hindi-language Superhero film directed by Raj Kanwar and produced by Suneel Darshan. It starred Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra. The film was written by Robin Bhatt, Shyam Goel and Jainendra Jain. It featured Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra in their debut Bollywood film roles. Andaaz was released in cinemas on 23 May 2003.

The film was a box-office success, grossing Rs 288 million at the box office against a budget of Rs 80 million. It was the ninth-highest-grossing Indian film of the year. At the 49th Filmfare Awards, it received 5 nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Chopra, and won Best Female Debut for Dutta and Chopra. Additionally, both actresses were also nominated for the Screen Award for Best Female Debut, which Dutta won.

Watch The Full Interview

For more news and updates from the entertainment world, stay tuned to Bollywood Bubble.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: DYK, Amitabh Bachchan Apologised To Suneel Darshan For THIS Reason