Subhash Ghai on casting Shah Rukh Khan and Mahima Chaudhry in Pardes: I only want to cast actors who fit the bill – Times of India

The distributors had wanted well-known names to draw in the crowds, but Subhash Ghai was quite certain who he wanted as the leads. He had already developed Arjun’s character with SRK in mind. He told the distributors, “I only want to cast actors who…fit the bill.” In the interview, he recalled that this was just after their film Trimurti, which had not performed well at the box office.

However, Ghai told the distributors that he would look for actors who suited their parts, and so it came about that Mahima Chaudhry landed the part of Ganga. Eventually, she won an award for it and her career was launched. “The rest is history,” says Subhash Ghai. Pardes ran for 50 weeks at the box office, a sure-shot golden jubilee.

Pardes’ storyline is familiar and is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago. Shah Rukh Khan with his characteristic fervour plays an NRI in a foreign land, whose heart pines for India and its rich cultural heritage versus the glitzy materialistic culture he encounters in the West.