Anil Kapoor has opened up about his experience of working on Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s ‘1942: A Love Story’ (1994), revealing that he was initially unsure about taking on the lead role. The actor, who had already worked with Chopra on the acclaimed ‘Parinda’ (1989), felt that the character required a younger actor. He also recalled feeling “insecure” while filming the film’s much-loved song “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha.”Anil Kapoor remembered shooting the track, which was composed by RD Burman, penned by Javed Akhtar and sung by Kumar Sanu. The actor noticed that the camera was largely focused on Manisha Koirala instead of him.He said, “We were doing the song Ek Ladki Ko Dekha. It’s a great, fantastic song, sung by Kumar Sanu. When the shooting of that song started, I noticed they’re not taking my shots at all. My character Narendra was singing it, but they weren’t taking my shots. After some time, I obviously got insecure,” he said in an interview with Variety India.The song mainly showcased Manisha Koirala, with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who was assisting Chopra at the time, directing the sequence and Farah Khan handling the choreography. Anil eventually questioned the filmmakers about the lack of his screen time.“I went up to Vinod, Sanjay, and Farah, and said, ‘The song is mine! I’m praising my girlfriend, but you’re not even taking my shots!”After seeing the final song, however, Anil understood the creative decision. He praised Manisha’s appearance and explained why she became the visual focus of the romantic number.“Manisha was so beautiful in that song, and still is. She was the emotional thread of the film. Since it’s a love story, the girl has to look beautiful. The way it was picturised by Vinod and Binod Pradhan (cinematographer), the way Renu (Saluja, editor) cut it, and the way Farah and Sanjay did it, there were hardly any shots of mine. I was treated like the leading lady, and she was the leading man,” added Anil, laughing.Anil also spoke about why he was hesitant to sign ‘1942: A Love Story’ in the first place. According to the actor, he believed someone younger would be better suited for the role. “I just felt it needed a younger actor to play the role. But Vir (Chopra, producer) and Vinod thought I should do it,” said Anil.Among the younger actors considered for the part were Aamir Khan and Bobby Deol. Aamir was already a popular romantic hero following films such as ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ (1988) and ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ (1992), while Bobby was yet to make his Bollywood debut at the time. He eventually entered the industry with ‘Barsaat’ in 1995.Anil revealed that the film’s music ultimately changed his mind. After hearing some of the songs that had already been recorded, he became convinced that the role was meant for him.“A couple of songs had been recorded. When I listened to them, I told them only I’d lip-sync to them, no one else would,” recalled Anil.He added, “Vinod and I always say that we should do films that our grandchildren don’t laugh at. So, the music was the turning point for me. I’m grateful to Vinod for convincing me that only I could do that part,”
