For years, rumors have been circulating about this actor Govinda was the original choice to play Tara Singh in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha before the role was finally cast Sunny Deol. director Anil Sharma has now put those speculations to rest, saying that the film was always conceived with Sunny Deol in mind.Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra, Sharma rubbished the long-standing claim, calling it a misunderstanding.“There are a lot of misconceptions around this. It is absolutely false. Govinda ji is one of my favorite actors, and I had already worked with him in Maharaja. I think he may have said somewhere that he was offered Gadar, which led to this misunderstanding. I want to clear this up today,” Sharma said.
“From day one, I only had Sunny Deol in mind”
Explaining her casting process, Sharma revealed that there were only two actors she could think of for Tara Singh.“I never thought of any actor other than Sunny Deol for Gadar. From the day I conceived 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 only and obvious choice,” he said.The filmmaker added that Sunny’s personality perfectly suited the character’s demands.“Sunny Deol has a great sense of humor, although people don’t see it publicly. I knew he would carry humor very well, and powerful portions were his strength anyway. For me, there was never any other actor.”
As Govinda understood it
Sharma also explained how Govinda might have assumed he was being considered for the film.Recalling an interaction during the shooting of Maharaja, he said, “Govinda ji asked me what I was working on next. I narrated the basic idea of Gadar and also told him that I was doing it with Sunny Deol. Maybe he didn’t hear that part. When you tell an idea to an actor, they naturally assume you’re narrating it for them.”He noted that the film had already been locked with Sunny Deol by then.“When I narrated the idea, Sunny Deol had already signed the film. I wasn’t narrating it to cast Govinda. I was simply sharing the story because I had wondered what I was working on.”
Could anyone else have played Tara Singh?
When asked if another actor could have bagged the role if Sunny Deol had not been available, 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. Beyond them, I don’t think anyone could have played Tara Singh.”When asked if salman khan of the Tere Naam era might have fit the role, Sharma replied, “Maybe the Salman Khan of that period, or a bit later, when he became more muscular and powerful, might have tried. But during the time Gadar was being made, I never thought of him.”
“Govinda was never right for this role”
The filmmaker concluded by reiterating that Govinda was never considered by Tara Singh due to the demands of the character.“I introduced Govinda to Maharaja because I saw a combination of Dilip Kumar and Dharmendra in that role, and he acted wonderfully. But for Gadar, it was never the right choice. Even if Sunny Deol was not there, it would have been difficult because of Govinda’s screen image. For me, Sunny Deol was always the only and perfect choice.”