Aug 14, 2026 7:15pm IST
Anil Kapoor On Nearly Turning Down ‘1942: A Love Story’: ‘I Suggested Bobby Deol And Aamir Khan’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Thirty-two years after Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s “1942: A Love Story” arrived in theatres, the film returns to the big screen on August 21, 2026, in an upgraded format. While Anil Kapoor, who headlined the film alongside Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff, received a lot of appreciation for his performance, he says that he was initially unsure about playing the lead. In fact, the actor believed the role needed someone younger.
Speaking exclusively to Variety India, Kapoor shares, “I was not very keen to do the film. I felt this film needed a younger actor to play the role. But Vinod (Vidhu Vinod Chopra) felt I should do the film. At that time, Bobby Deol was just starting fresh, so I had suggested his name, and even Aamir Khan.”
What eventually changed his mind was the film’s music. By the time Anil Kapoor was considering the role, some of the songs had already been recorded, and the actor loved them. “The music was a huge turning point for me to change my decision and do the film. I said if these songs are in the film, there is no way I am letting anyone else lip-sync to them. It has to be me. I want to thank Vinod for convincing me to do this film,” he says.
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The film’s extraordinary soundtrack, composed by R.D. Burman with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, included melodious songs like “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga,” “Kuch Na Kaho,” “Pyar Hua Chupke Se” and “Rim Jhim Rim Jhim.”
Kapoor also looks back on the making of “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga,” one of the most enduring romantic songs in Hindi cinema. The song is sung from Naren’s perspective, but its visual treatment places Manisha Koirala’s Rajjo at the center. Kapoor remembers initially being confused by how little he appeared in the sequence. “We were shooting for ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga.’ The song is from Naren’s perspective. He is singing it, but I was not in the frame. I was getting restless. Then I got insecure and went to Vinod and Sanjay (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) and Farah (Farah Khan) and asked them, ‘If the song is being sung by Naren, then why are you guys not including me at all?’”
Kapoor’s perspective changed when he finally saw the completed sequence. “It was later when I saw the song and Rajjo (Manisha Koirala) was in the frame while the song played in the background, that I realized it made it even more beautiful.”
He adds, “How beautiful Manisha was and she still is. She was the emotional thread of that film. The way the song was picturized by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, (DOP) Binod Pradhan and Farah Khan made it magical. There were hardly any shots of me in the song; it was all Manisha and the visuals. I was treated like the leading lady and Manisha was the hero. That’s a core memory of this film for me,” Kapoor says.
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