Producer Ramesh Taurani recently opened up about the casting hurdles he faced during the making of the 2000 film Kya Kehna in an interview with Radio Nasha. Reflecting on the project, Taurani revealed that the film’s production journey was far from smooth.
Initially, Mukul Dev and Chandrachur Singh were signed for the lead roles. However, Mukul Dev could not make it to the first day of the shoot, prompting the team to replace him with Saif Ali Khan. Production began with Saif, but it faced another setback following the Gulshan Kumar incident, which impacted the film’s prospects.
Taurani shared that while buyers were ready to invest in his other films at the time, Kya Kehna struggled to find takers. Recognizing the challenge, he approached Chandrachur Singh, who was working on other solo films then, and suggested he step away from the project to bring in a bigger star. Taurani then approached Salman Khan for the role, requesting a commitment of 25-30 days to complete the film, which Salman agreed to do.
However, before things could move forward, news about the potential recasting broke, leading Chandrachur Singh to insist on staying in the film. Salman Khan, upon learning about the situation, decided not to pursue the role, advising Taurani to proceed with Chandrachur instead.
Despite these initial challenges, Kya Kehna went on to be completed with the original cast. The film, starring Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, and Chandrachur Singh, eventually became a commercial success, marking a turning point for Taurani and his production company.
