“One hour later, his secretary called me” Ramesh Taurani reveals he once refused a film because Suniel Shetty was the hero on Komal Nahta’s Game Changers : The Music Series

Komal Nahta, one of India’s most respected trade analysts, is back with a fresh season of his podcast Game Changers: The Music Series. This edition shines a spotlight on celebrated singers, composers, and music maestros as they share their creative journeys, inspirations, and the untold stories behind the music that has shaped generations. The latest episode featured Ramesh Taurani.

As co-founder and managing director of Tips Industries, Ramesh Taurani is one of Indian cinema’s most influential film producers and music moguls, having shaped Bollywood’s soundtrack for decades. During the episode, he opened up about his early days in the business during the early ’90s. He recalled an important lesson in industry diplomacy: “I took two pictures from Firoz Nadiadwala, ‘Ram Shastra’ and one Anil Kapoor movie. The Anil Kapoor picture couldn’t be made, so we adjusted the money with ‘Ram Shastra’. When I took two movies, they announced three new movies with Suniel Shetty and some other director. At that time, Suniel Shetty was new in the industry and we had superstars Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff. They insisted that I take the three new pictures as well, but I declined. ‘Mujhe nahi chahiye, aapke picture ka hero Suniel Shetty hai.’ We didn’t know better at that time, as we were also new in 1990, 1991. We didn’t know that we should not speak like that.

In an hour, I got a call from Jatin Rajguru, Suniel Shetty’s secretary, saying Suniel wanted to meet us. I said, ‘Most welcome.’ I didn’t know he wanted to meet us because of what I had said. They came and said, ‘Sir, aap aisa mat bolo ke aap Suniel Shetty ki picture nahi karoge.’ I said, ‘It’s true that I said that, but I’ll buy two pictures of yours.’ We took ‘Raghuveer’ (1995) and ‘Takkar’ (1995), and from that incident, I learnt what not to say in the industry.”

With Game Changers Season: The Music Series, Komal Nahta is redefining the landscape of Indian cinema conversations. Tune in to the YouTube channel for Game Changers: The Music Series!