Director Subhash Ghai admitted he initially rejected Aishwarya Rai for the 1999 film Taal, believing she belonged to the 'cosmetic world' rather than a small-town role.
Ghai changed his mind after watching Aishwarya's performance in Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Iruvar, which convinced him of her acting range.
The film, which starred Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, and Akshaye Khanna, became a major commercial success at both domestic and overseas box offices.