Excerpt from an interview Yash Chopra did with Filmfare, back in August 1989, months before the release of the film Chandni. The jaw-dropping reveal here from the archive is, the original cast of Lamhe was... Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan!! Read on...
Filmfare: After the success of Qayamat se Qayamat Tak, teenage romances are in. Yet, Chandni is a mature love story with established stars.
Yash Chopra: I've never been interested in puppy love. My artistes don't run around trees, they are normal people who play their age. Chandni is about a middle-class girl and the romantic upheavals in her life. It's a very different film. Different, not in the sense that I'll be breaking new ground in film-making, but there's a freshness in its treatment, the fragrance of love will come through. Also, unlike Silsila which had a heaviness about it because of the extra-marital angle, Chandni is in a lighter vein, it does not have any sub-plots. Everything revolves around three characters.
You'll see a totally new Sridevi in Chandni. Her presence, performance and looks will make people sit up. After this film, she'll command a lot of respect in the industry, the kind which comes after an extraordinary performance. She'll join the class of Nutan, Waheeda, Hema, Nargis and Vyjanthimala.
Looking at the stills of the film, one is reminded of your old favourite Raakhee.
But then isn't Raakhee the most beautiful girl you've seen on the Hindi screen? (Laughs). No. what you say isn't true. Perhaps you feel that way because of the manner in which I have presented her. In my films, the heroines generally don't project a westernised look, they're always simply dressed in Indian clothes, mostly white, without any embellishments, the minimum of jewellery, no fancy hairdos. They project the girl-next-door look. Perhaps that's why one gets the feeling that I'm repeating them.
What made you chose Sridevi for Chandni, when she had the image of being a glamorous star?
My decision was instinctive. To be frank, I had seen just one film of hers. Moondram Pirai, the Tamil original of Sadma, and that too by accident. Amitabh had seen the film earlier, and wanted to see it again. I happened to be in Madras at that time and he invited me to join him. I had not seen any of Sridevi's commercial films like Himmatwala or Mawaali. I saw Mr. India and Nagina only after I had started working with her. Yes, I did see Aakhree Raasta, where has a small role. I felt a girl who could work with Amitabh so effortlessly, could work with any hero.
At one stage, you had considered making Chandni with Rekha and Amitabh.
Never. Soon after Silsila, I'd planned Lamhe with Amitabh and Rekha, but for various reasons, they couldn't' work together after Silsila. Of course I did mention Chandni to Rekha when she was working with me on Faasle. At that time, the script hadn't taken final shape. Kaamna Chandra, who'd written Prem Rog, approached me with the interesting story of a girl she knew. I was fascinated by the story, but I told her to change the narrative style..."
Yash Chopra: I've never been interested in puppy love. My artistes don't run around trees, they are normal people who play their age. Chandni is about a middle-class girl and the romantic upheavals in her life. It's a very different film. Different, not in the sense that I'll be breaking new ground in film-making, but there's a freshness in its treatment, the fragrance of love will come through. Also, unlike Silsila which had a heaviness about it because of the extra-marital angle, Chandni is in a lighter vein, it does not have any sub-plots. Everything revolves around three characters.
You'll see a totally new Sridevi in Chandni. Her presence, performance and looks will make people sit up. After this film, she'll command a lot of respect in the industry, the kind which comes after an extraordinary performance. She'll join the class of Nutan, Waheeda, Hema, Nargis and Vyjanthimala.
Looking at the stills of the film, one is reminded of your old favourite Raakhee.
But then isn't Raakhee the most beautiful girl you've seen on the Hindi screen? (Laughs). No. what you say isn't true. Perhaps you feel that way because of the manner in which I have presented her. In my films, the heroines generally don't project a westernised look, they're always simply dressed in Indian clothes, mostly white, without any embellishments, the minimum of jewellery, no fancy hairdos. They project the girl-next-door look. Perhaps that's why one gets the feeling that I'm repeating them.
What made you chose Sridevi for Chandni, when she had the image of being a glamorous star?
My decision was instinctive. To be frank, I had seen just one film of hers. Moondram Pirai, the Tamil original of Sadma, and that too by accident. Amitabh had seen the film earlier, and wanted to see it again. I happened to be in Madras at that time and he invited me to join him. I had not seen any of Sridevi's commercial films like Himmatwala or Mawaali. I saw Mr. India and Nagina only after I had started working with her. Yes, I did see Aakhree Raasta, where has a small role. I felt a girl who could work with Amitabh so effortlessly, could work with any hero.
At one stage, you had considered making Chandni with Rekha and Amitabh.
Never. Soon after Silsila, I'd planned Lamhe with Amitabh and Rekha, but for various reasons, they couldn't' work together after Silsila. Of course I did mention Chandni to Rekha when she was working with me on Faasle. At that time, the script hadn't taken final shape. Kaamna Chandra, who'd written Prem Rog, approached me with the interesting story of a girl she knew. I was fascinated by the story, but I told her to change the narrative style..."
More Yash Chopra on working with Sridevi in Chandni here.
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