Juhi Chawla shares her bond with Shah Rukh Khan in their Bollywood journey
It’s a well-known fact that Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh Khan shared a passionate bond in their Bollywood journey.
Their story goes outwith just co-stars in hit movies like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Yes Boss, Darr, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani etc or business partners in ventures like the Kolkata Knight Riders. They’ve been friends for decades. Taking a trip down memory lane and riveting those early days, at the recently held Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry event, Juhi recalled a young, ambitious Shah Rukh fresh from Delhi, and who did not have a home in Mumbai, the
Mecca of Hindi films Bollywood.
She went on to reveal that revealed, she wasn’t aware where he was put up and no one to cook for him. He used to have tea with the unit, eat with the unit, and blended in the unit seamlessly. He was all the time in a cheerful mood making fun and so forth. He also did 2-3 shifts then. He was doing Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman with her, then Dil Aashna Hai, and another film (Deewana) with Divya (Bharti). He was very driven.
Juhi also went on to reveal that Shah Rukh Khan owned a gypsy, but unable to pay up EMI and it was taken away. He even was doing 2-3 shifts. But unable to pay EMI he walked to the shoot set very dejected. She told him, ‘Don’t worry, he will have many more cars one day.’ And he still remembers that. Because it’s true. Look at him today.” From those humble beginnings, his career skyrocketed. Their friendship, however, remained grounded.
Reportedly, things weren’t always smooth sailing for Shah Rukh who faced financial crunches and struggled to make ends at the beginning of his career. Today, he might be counted among the richest actor in India and topping the IMDb list with an approximately net worth of Rs 6300 crores, but SRK didn’t have an easy start.
Juhi, also recalled how Vivek Vaswani painted a picture of Shah Rukh for their first film, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman as he compared the actor with her earlier Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak co-star, Aamir Khan. Juhi who didn’t see Shah Rukh’s work on TV, had no idea what he looked like. They had done a movie Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman when even she was still new in the industry. Producer Vivek Vaswani said big things that her hero was in Fauji very famous and looks like Aamir Khan. Juhi shared that in her my mind, she pictured a chocolate-faced, good-looking hero, like Aamir. So she said why won’t he do the movie!”.
Juhi was however disappointed when she actually met SRK in person. “When she reached the set, that was when she first saw him. He was thin, brown coloured man standing in a white shirt. She asked, ‘From which angle is he looking like Aamir Khan? She was been betrayed. The actor ended up doing the film with SRK despite the disappointment. Juhi made him a star too.
However, she added that she enjoyed working with the actor. “The director would lean on to him saying that when he arrives on the set he would be okay.
He used to rehearse and improve. He didn’t work selfishly. He would suggest things to you and she had great time working with him.
News Edit K.V.Raman
