Veteran Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor has revealed a major casting 'what-if' from his career, disclosing that he originally envisioned Salman Khan, and not Aamir Khan, as the lead for the blockbuster Hindi remake of the Tamil film 'Ghajini'. Kapoor, who has collaborated with Salman Khan for over two decades, expressed deep regret over missing this opportunity due to complex rights negotiations.
The Perfect Casting That Never Was
In a recent interview, Boney Kapoor detailed his strong conviction that Salman Khan was the ideal actor for the intense role eventually played by Aamir Khan in the 2008 hit. Kapoor's professional relationship with Salman dates back to the 1999 film 'Sirf Tum' and includes successful collaborations like 'No Entry' (2005) and 'Wanted' (2009).
Kapoor explained his reasoning, pointing to Salman Khan's transformative look in the 2003 film 'Tere Naam'. He noted that in the first half of 'Tere Naam', Salman sported long hair, but for the post-interval portions, his head was shaved. Kapoor believed that with Salman's famously chiseled physique and that shaved-head look, he would have been a perfect fit to portray the character played by Suriya in the original 'Ghajini'.
Navigating the Remake Rights Maze
The producer's vision, however, hit a roadblock when he attempted to secure the Hindi remake rights. Kapoor shared that his representative in the South film industry approached the original producer, Salem Chandrasekharan. The response was that the rights had been given as collateral to noted producer Allu Aravind, but they could be purchased by paying off both parties.
Kapoor then reached out to Madhu Mantena, a key contact of Allu Aravind, to facilitate the deal. "Madhu kept assuring me, 'Ho jayega (It will happen),'" Kapoor recalled. For nearly six months, he was kept waiting while the deal remained in limbo.
How Aamir Khan Entered the Picture
The situation took a decisive turn when actor Pradeep Rawat brought the 'Ghajini' remake project to Aamir Khan's attention. "For almost six months, while he was debating over whether he wanted to do the Hindi remake of Ghajini, Madhu kept me dangling," Kapoor stated. When Aamir Khan finally agreed to star in the film, Madhu Mantena and Allu Aravind decided to produce it themselves, effectively cutting Boney Kapoor out of the project he had initiated.
The 2008 film 'Ghajini', starring Aamir Khan, went on to become a massive commercial success, breaking box office records at the time. Boney Kapoor still laments the lost chance. "I wanted to remake Ghajini with Salman, and to this day, I regret missing out on the opportunity," he concluded, highlighting one of Bollywood's most intriguing alternate casting stories.
