How Ajay replaced Akshay in Phool Aur Kaante – Excl

Filmmaker

Kuku Kohli

recently opened up to

ETimes

about Ajay Devgn’s early days in Bollywood and how he replaced Akshay Kumar in the 1991 film

Phool Aur Kaante

. Kohli, known for launching newcomers, reflected on his journey with Devgn, describing how he was initially planning to cast Akshay Kumar but had to find another actor due to unexpected delays.
Kohli began by explaining how his journey of working with newcomers started. “Let me tell you. I started my career with a film called Bobby, which was introduced with a newcomer. So, I learned how Rajji handled newcomers. Under his direction, we learned how to work with them and how to extract the best of their potential. After that, I worked on two more films with Rahul Rawail. The first one was Love Story, again with a newcomer Kumar Gaurav and Vijayta Pandit. Then we did Betaab, which also featured several newcomers – Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh.”

With this experience, Kohli shared how he was familiar with the process of working with newcomers and was looking for someone new when it was time to direct Phool Aur Kaante. He recalled, “I was looking for a newcomer, desperately, because I was getting a break myself. That’s how it all started. I had seen Ajay’s photograph in Veeruji’s office.”
However, Kohli revealed that the initial choice for the lead role in the film was Akshay Kumar. “Initially, I had taken a screen test of Akshay Kumar for the same subject and he was in the film. I even shot a song as a test with 3-4 heroines, including Sonali Bendre. It turned out well. However, around the same time Akshay Kumar and Karishma Kapoor were signed for another film under Pramod Chakravorty’s banner, and for some reason, the film was not going on floor.”

Kohli explained how things took an unexpected turn when Akshay Kumar decided to go with the other project. “Akshay came and requested if I could take the test footage, and around that time only I was supposed to do a film for Prakash Mehra and Satyam Pal Chaudhary but the project faced delays. In the meanwhile, Akshay Kumar went and showed the test footage to Pramod Chakravorty and he started the film within two weeks. And our film was taking time, and Akshay wanted a break, and it was a big banner, so he gave away the dates to them. We would get only a few days, and we were helpless and I was totally cornered, and my producer was putting pressure to start the film. He was a new producer; his name was Dinesh Patel, so I decided to find another boy before he changed his mind about the film. That’s how I saw Ajay’s photograph in the office and decided to test him.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Kohli shared how Devgn stood out in the screen test. “I took two shots and asked him to act spontaneously. It took about an hour and a half, but I saw depth in his eyes, a certain expression, and potential. That’s how his journey started.”
When asked about the differences in the industry today, Kohli reflected on the changing dynamics. “There’s no major difference. For example, I made Yeh Dil Aashiqana in 2003-04 with a newcomer, and it celebrated a Silver Jubilee. Not all are able to introduce newcomers and one has to work with them accordingly and we have to work hard.”

He went on to discuss how the industry has changed over time, stating, “Of course I worked hard on Ajay but he also worked really hard on himself and with all his heart. But today forget about filmmaking and acting they don’t work on scripts also – all they want is girl and a boy blowing up cars and one man killing hundreds there is no concept nor depth in the stories all we have is only star system and it has been there for several decades.”
He continued, “Back then, we worked hard to groom actors, which isn’t as common now. Scripts and acting both require effort, but today, many projects rely on superficial elements like action sequences and star power.”
On the topic of newcomers today, Kohli added, “It’s easier for industry kids because they have connections, but the pressure remains the same. If they have talent, their careers will sustain.” He further mentioned that the dynamics in the industry when Ajay Devgn debuted were similar, recalling, “When Ajay’s film released, we had Lamhe opposite us, and we were told ‘pata hi nahi chalega’… they do the same even today.”
“I remember when Rajji made Bobby he was criticized for taking Rishi Kapoor people said he has signed his own son and two new comers in the film and at that time they were big actors like Rajesh Khanna and people said, Bobby film paani bhi nahi mangegi and this we have been hearing for several decades,” he added.

Reflecting on Ajay Devgn’s connection with the audience, Kohli said, “Ajay had depth. From the moment I tested him, I saw that he had something special. It wasn’t easy—we worked hard, and so did he. It’s not just one film; his dedication and talent were evident from the beginning.”
Kohli concluded with a timeless belief that remains true for any film, saying, “If the film has a good script, music is good, and has the right emotions, that is good enough for a film to be a hit.”