This actor has been spreading rumors for several years Govinda Ghadar: Was the original choice to play Tara Singh in Ek Prem Katha before eventually landing the role Sunny Deol. director Anil Sharma has now put an end to that speculation, saying that the film was always made with Sunny Deol in mind.Speaking to Subhankar Mishra, Sharma dismissed the long-standing claim as a misunderstanding.“There are a lot of misconceptions around this. It is absolutely false. Govind ji is one of my favorite actors, and I have already worked with him in Maharaja. I think he may have said somewhere that he was offered Gadar, which has led to this misunderstanding. I want to clear it today,” Sharma said.
‘I had only Sunny Deol on my mind since day one’
Explaining his casting process, Sharma revealed that there were only two actors he could envision for Tara Singh.“I didn’t think of any actor other than Sunny Deol for Gadar. From the day I thought of the story, I felt that only Sunny Deol could do it. In my mind, there were only two names – either a young Dharmendra or Sunny Deol. Since I couldn’t get a young Dharmendra, Sunny Deol became the obvious and only choice,” he said.The filmmaker added that Sunny’s personality perfectly matched the needs of the character.“Sunny Deol has a great sense of humour, though people don’t see it openly. I knew he would carry humor beautifully and strong parts were his strength anyway. For me, no other actor ever was.”
How the misunderstanding of Govinda began
Sharma also explained how Govinda assumed that he was being considered for the film.Recalling an interaction during the shooting of Maharaja, he said, “Govind ji asked me what I was working on next. I described the basic idea of ​​Gadar and told him that I was making it with Sunny Deol.” Maybe he didn’t hear that part. When you describe an idea to an actor, they naturally assume you’re describing it for them.”He insisted that the film has already been locked with Sunny Deol.“When I narrated the concept, Sunny Deol had already signed the film. I wasn’t narrating it to cast Govinda. I was just sharing the story because he asked what I was working on.”
Can anyone else play the role of Tara Singh?
Asked if any other actor could have stepped into the role without Sunny Deol, Sharma admitted that it would have been extremely difficult.“At that time, no one else could have done it. Maybe a young Dharmendra, a young Amitabh Bachchan or a young Dilip Kumar. I don’t think anyone else could have played Tara Singh.”If you want to know whether Dr Salman Khan Could have suited the role from the Tere Naam era, Sharma replied, “Maybe Salman Khan of that time, or a bit later when he became more muscular and strong, could have tried it. But when Gadar was being made, I didn’t think of him.”
‘Govinda was never right for this role’
The filmmaker reiterated that Govinda was never considered for Tara Singh due to the demands of the character.“I cast Govinda in Maharaja because I saw the combination of Dilip Kumar and Dharmendra in that role and he gave a fantastic performance. But for Gadar, he was never the right choice. Even if there was no Sunny Deol, it would have been difficult because of Govinda’s screen image. For me, Sunny Deol was always the perfect and only choice.”
