Govinda was scared after hearing the story of Gadar Ek Prem Katha, says director Anil Sharma

Sunny Deol won hearts with his film Gadar Ek Prem Katha that turned 20 on Tuesday. However, many reports claimed that Govinda and Kajol were the original choices for the movie. The director, Anil Sharma, has now opened up on the rumours.

Anil Sharma said that Govinda was not finalised for the role of Tara Singh in the film, though the filmmaker did narrate the story to him. Sunny Deol eventually bagged the role. The director also said that Kajol was not the only actor he approached for the female lead.

Anil told BollywoodHungama in an interview, “Govinda was never signed for Gadar – Ek Prem Katha. I was directing him in Maharaja (1998). This is when I had narrated Gadar – Ek Prem Katha’s story to Govinda. Toh aisa nahi tha ki maine unko cast kiya tha. Balki woh toh Gadar – Ek Prem Katha ki kahani sunn ke darr gaye the (Not like I cast him in the film. In fact, he got scared after listening to the story of Gadar Ek Prem Katha).”

“He was wondering how someone can pull off a film of this kind and scale. This was a time when there was no way of recreating Pakistan; nobody had attempted it for a major part of the film. So Sunny Deol was always the first choice,” Anil added. He also told the entertainment website that he approached many female actors for the role of Sakina but nothing worked out. Ameesha Patel was eventually cast.

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During an interaction with Hindustan Times, Anil had said that the concept of a remake would be futile as there is no one who could make Gadar Ek Prem Katha, other than himself. He added that even today, he would make the exact same film. He also said that a younger Dharmendra may have suited the role of Tara Singh, if not Sunny. For the role of Ashraf Ali, he would have picked Pran as an alternate choice.