Explore the making of "Taal" as Akshaye Khanna reminisces about shooting memories, Subhash Ghai's influence, and more in a candid chat with Lehren. He also shares insights into his camaraderie with co-stars and the enduring legacy of this iconic film.
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00:00 It's very difficult to make films if you do not have insurance
00:03 I don't think we've really had a musical musical in a long time
00:05 And I think this will come as a refreshing change. There was no scope for playing to the gallery. There was no scope for
00:12 Histrionics it had to be a very controlled very kind of a held back performance
00:20 You
00:22 Know
00:33 most of
00:35 the world believes that the universe started with a big bang the Big Bang Theory and
00:40 That is also in a way a tal and I think that tal has continued
00:44 Right throughout existence is just that we're making a film called tal. It's a
00:50 the
00:52 the line if you have written on the post if you've seen on the posters below tal is written the beat of passion and
00:59 That's what it's all about it's about it's a love story. It's a love triangle and
01:04 It's about two people's tal meeting
01:10 Tal could it mean like musically as in tal or tal of emotion or tal of passion coming together? Or is it just a musical sound to you?
01:22 Well tal is a musical and
01:25 Not only does a film have a lot of songs. There are a lot of scenes that have been treated musically
01:31 Which is quite unique has never happened before
01:33 so it's
01:36 really in a true sense a musical and
01:38 The music is a integral part of the film
01:43 I think there's a great variety of music music for different tastes. There's
01:51 There's a lot of Indian classical there is a lot of Western beats
01:58 Songs, you know which have Western beats
02:04 There's a symphony, you know classical symphony and there's a
02:07 Slow songs and their fast songs and a lot of music pieces. There's music pieces that which I described to you just earlier
02:15 So there's a whole variety, you know, which you rarely find in film albums
02:21 I personally think it's about guys best music. I personally think it's a RM on his best music. I've been a
02:32 fan of his for a long time. I've listened to all his albums and
02:36 The albums he's done for film and the albums he's done
02:40 Merge it purely for himself and I've been a great fan of his but I really think this is his best music and
02:48 Anand Bakshi's contribution is tremendous. The
02:52 Lyrics are beautiful. They're simple but yet very beautiful
02:56 How is it working with Mr. Subhash Ghai?
02:58 That's true, I mean the whole world knows the kind of director he is his success
03:12 Has been unprecedented and I
03:17 Think the reason for that is apart from knowing your job and being a good director direct
03:25 I think it's it's his personality is
03:27 Just the way he is. He's such a good human being
03:29 that
03:32 And he's grown he's not to remain static he's not, you know remained in some time warp in the 70s or 80s
03:38 He grows every day. He's learning and he's changing and I think that's what
03:43 Allows him to be successful over a period of two decades and not just have a stint with success and then disappear
03:50 Do you think you've learnt anything while making this movie and while working with Mr. Subhash Ghai personally?
03:56 I think you learn
03:58 every day every every shot every scene is a learning experience and
04:02 definitely when you work with
04:05 People like not only Subhash Ghai but even working with Anil Kapoor. I worked with Aishwarya before but even working with Anil
04:12 He's a lovely chap
04:18 Very fine actor very fine human being and
04:21 Yes, you get to learn a lot working with people like this and I thoroughly enjoyed it
04:26 I've done one film with Aishwarya called Aab Lord Chale and this is my second one with her
04:32 She's very beautiful and
04:36 From the outside but also from the inside she's a very nice person to work with so always smiling always laughing
04:43 always cheerful and I
04:46 Think she's grown to be a very fine actress
04:48 I think she's proved I
04:57 Mean I I'm not particularly inclined to talk about my co-stars career
05:05 but I
05:08 Don't think there's any need to prove anything. I think she's done
05:12 what she's had to do and
05:16 People have accepted her and loved her and I think they will continue to and yes with Tal she will she will
05:21 definitely
05:24 Be appreciated and loved she's done a wonderful job in the film
05:29 I'm playing a character called Manav. He's a quite a unique character
05:39 Very
05:43 Unique is the only word I can think of to describe him correctly. He's the son of a
05:50 very rich man
05:53 but I think the whole the beauty of this character is the the way he thinks the way he
05:59 Tackles his problems the way he approaches life is not something that you see
06:05 People doing on a day-to-day basis. You don't meet this kind of a person and you don't even see him on screen
06:11 You need this kind of characters never even come on screen. It's
06:13 Not something you see usually and yet something that you would aspire to be something that you would like to be there's a lot in
06:23 That character which most people would say hey, I wish I could be like that, you know
06:27 I wish I could say that I wish I could do that
06:29 You know, so it's a very interesting character to play
06:37 I'm not talking. I'm not talking in terms of actual physical mannerisms, but in terms of
06:43 What he says and when he says it how he says it is confidence in himself. There's a line in the film which is
06:50 often repeated it says
06:53 Other medical measure hair such a hair to yoga. Yeah, you know, you know, so he's that kind of character
07:01 he's very confident about himself what he thinks is right and wrong and
07:06 He brings about that in his life
07:08 What I've been asked that question before but I think yeah, maybe a little bit but not not too much a little bit like
07:24 Just a little bit. Yeah
07:31 Yeah, it is it was challenging in the sense that
07:34 One had to be very restrained. There was no scope for playing to the gallery
07:39 there was no scope for
07:41 Histrionics it had to be a very controlled a very
07:47 sober very kind of a
07:51 Held back performance which is not easy. It's easy to do
07:58 sometimes in a couple of scenes which
08:01 where the scene itself helps you to be restrained and
08:04 but even when a normal person would say
08:08 React slightly differently when you have to constantly throughout the film
08:12 Hold back and play the character
08:15 like that
08:17 it is a challenge and
08:19 So, let's see how it
08:28 Well, I'm as an actor as a professional I'm open to anything
08:32 Any character any kind of film as long as it excites me
08:39 but as
08:41 An actor one has to be offered those films to be able to do them
08:45 Unless I direct a film myself or you know, I make my own project. But at the moment I'm a more or less
08:55 Dependent on what is offered to me and so I can pick and choose only from that and
09:00 That's what I do, but I'm open to doing a variety of things. In fact, I look forward to doing it in the future
09:07 Yeah, I don't think we've I think all in all in the films are musicals but I mean they all have music they all have songs
09:22 but
09:24 yeah, I think this will be in a way very different from I
09:27 Don't think we've really had a musical musical in a long time and I think this will come as a refreshing change
09:35 Especially since I mean it would have not been so exciting had the music not done well
09:41 But since there is a lot of appreciation and the music is selling very well
09:45 It's number one everywhere. So that
09:49 Enhances the whole experience when you see the film
09:52 Do you have a lot of music in your character?
09:54 No, not me in particular though I have lots of songs in the film but
10:03 Aishwarya is in the film
10:08 From a music family
10:12 she is the daughter of a
10:15 folk singer in a small little village in North India and
10:21 Anil Kapoor plays a
10:23 Head of a entertainment company a musical music entertainment company
10:29 So both their characters have something to do with music mine doesn't particularly have anything to do with music. No
10:36 Yeah, I think it's a remarkably well
10:43 Detailed script and
10:49 Not not as it's gone along. It was there right from the beginning
10:52 even when I first heard the narration of the film is worked out to every last detail and
10:57 Not everybody does that it you know, you don't
11:02 Usually
11:06 We don't have the privilege of hearing or getting bound scripts so we can read them where every last detail is worked out
11:11 So it's nice to have that it
11:13 it improves the
11:16 Performances of not only the actors, but I think everybody involved with the film
11:20 Yeah, I've I've done another film with Amrish Puri Dolly Siddhartha and this is second time working with him he's
11:35 He's such a warm person. He's such a lovely person to work with
11:40 and he's a great actor really very very good actor and
11:45 It's always a pleasure to work with him. It's always a pleasure to see him. It's always a pleasure to meet him and to hear him and
11:51 he's played my father in this film and I think it's a very
11:56 you different kind of a father-son relationship with which Swarajji is conceived and
12:02 I think people are going to enjoy that relationship. It's something different very true to life very real and
12:08 We've had great fun doing it
12:12 I
12:14 Think it's a great step forward. I think it's a great achievement on the part of Mukta Arts to have shown the way
12:28 It had to happen sometime or the other
12:31 It's very difficult to make films if you do not have insurance and
12:38 It's a great relief to the industry that yes at least one film
12:41 Has been has taken the step
12:45 I think it's a very important step and hats off to Mukta Arts and Swarajji for achieving that and I think it has set a standard
12:51 which
12:53 is bound to follow is bound to be followed and
12:57 I think it's a fantastic thing for me as an actor. It really does make that much of a difference
13:03 I think it makes a difference to the producer and to the entire production
13:08 Because everything is insured, you know, if there's any unforeseen
13:13 Incident or accident the insurance companies cover it. I don't know what I don't know the details of the thing, but it's a wonderful thing
13:21 It's a great step for the entire industry
13:24 Thank you
13:28 You
13:30 You
13:32 (upbeat music)
13:35 you