EXCLUSIVE: Was Sneha Ullal cast in Lucky because she resembled Aishwarya Rai? Makers reveal truth

Filmmakers Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, who collaborated with Salman Khan on Lucky: No Time for Love, shared their experience of casting Sneha Ullal in the film. At that time, Sneha faced frequent comparisons to Aishwarya Rai, a trend that continued to follow her throughout her brief career in the industry. In an interview with Hindi Rush, the filmmakers clarified that casting someone who resembled Aishwarya was not a deliberate choice.

In an interview with Hindi Rush, the filmmakers were asked about Sneha's striking resemblance to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and whether her casting was part of a deliberate strategy.

Listen to the full interview here: 

They said, “It wasn’t a strategy. We wanted to cast a newcomer, and Arpita Khan (Salman’s sister) said that there is a very pretty girl at her college, and asked if we’d want to audition her. The role was of a schoolgirl whose parents are working in an embassy. She needed to have the vibe of someone who has lived in Europe. She suited the role.” 

They mentioned that they gradually realized how the narrative was evolving, but stressed that it wouldn't be fair to compare anyone to someone as stunning as Aishwarya.

The duo added, "We would notice a resemblance sometimes while shooting, but there are so many people who look like others. We never thought that the similarity was all that striking, but when the campaign started and people started pointing it out, that’s when we noticed. It would be a lie to say that we didn’t think about it, but we it wasn’t a big deal. It’s a good thing to be compared to Aishwarya.”

In a past interview with IANS, Sneha Ullal revealed that the narrative surrounding her appearance was created by publicists.

She mentioned that she was always comfortable in her own skin and the comparisons to Aishwarya didn't affect her. According to Sneha, it was the PR strategy that played a significant role in emphasizing the comparisons, making it a much bigger deal than it might have been otherwise.

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