- Anil Kapoor felt insecure during filming of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha song in 1942: A Love Story
- Most camera attention in the song was on Manisha Koirala, not Anil Kapoor
- Kapoor initially doubted he was the right age for the lead role in the film
1942: A Love Story was re-released in cinemas on 21 August. The film starred Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala in the lead roles. In a recent interview, Anil Kapoor admitted that he felt a little insecure while shooting the now-iconic song Ek Ladki Ko Dekha. During filming, Kapoor noticed that most of the camera's attention was focused on his co-star Manisha Koirala rather than on him.
Speaking to Variety India, Anil Kapoor said, "We were shooting the song Ek Ladki Ko Dekha. It's a fantastic song, sung by Kumar Sanu. When the shooting began, I noticed that they weren't taking my shots at all. My character, Narendra, was singing it, but they weren't filming me. After some time, I obviously became insecure."
He added, "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!'"
Explaining the reason behind it, Kapoor said, "Manisha looked beautiful in that song, and she still does. She was the emotional thread of the film. Since it's a love story, the girl has to look beautiful. The way Vinod and cinematographer Binod Pradhan picturised it, the way editor Renu Saluja cut it, and the way Farah and Sanjay worked on it, there were hardly any shots of me. I was treated like the leading lady, and she was treated like the leading man."
In the same interview, Kapoor also revealed that he was initially unsure about taking on the lead role in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's film, which was originally released in 1994.
"I just felt that the role needed a younger actor. But Vir (Chopra, producer) and Vinod believed that I should do it," he said.
He continued, "A couple of songs had already been recorded. When I listened to them, I told them that only I would lip-sync to those songs, no one else. Vinod and I often say that we should make films that our grandchildren won't laugh at. The music was the turning point for me. I'm grateful to Vinod for convincing me that only I could play that part."
The memorable song Ek Ladki Ko Dekha was composed by RD Burman, written by Javed Akhtar, and sung by Kumar Sanu.
Also Read: Anil Kapoor's Rise: From Airport Pickup Job, Serving Snacks On Set to Owning a Rs 330-Crore Fortune