Mita Vashisht Shares Unpleasant Memories of ‘Taal,’ Criticizing Subhash Ghai’s Directing and Aishwarya Rai’s Stardom

Mita Vashisht has shared candid reflections on her experiences during the making of Subhash Ghai’s ‘Taal,’ particularly focusing on her relationship with the director and her co-star, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Vashisht viewed ‘Taal’ as a significant project in her career, and she approached Ghai without being in awe of his fame. She recounted friendly banter with Ghai, in which she challenged his claims of creating stars while asserting her established presence. She also discussed Ghai’s preferences for the qualities of a mainstream heroine, highlighting the significance of beauty and approachability. Vashisht spoke of the process of taking direction, and her eventual insistence on bringing her own interpretation to the character of Prabha. The film was a major production during the height of Ghai’s career. Vashisht initially considered declining the role, but she ultimately accepted it. She recounted a conversation with Ghai about her character’s screen time and impact, and also noted that her appearance in the film drew from her personal style. Vashisht observed that Aishwarya Rai was relatively new to the industry at the time. She detailed the different world she came from, from her training in acting, versus the world of models and beauty queens breaking into film. She described how scenes involving both actresses had to be reshot because Ghai felt that her strong presence negatively impacted Bachchan’s scenes. Vashisht viewed the entire experience as a continuous lesson.