‘Darr’ first went to Aamir, then Ajay and finally to SRK: Juhi Chawla

Mumbai, December 24

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As ‘Darr’ completes 30 years on Sunday, actress Juhi Chawla recalls how special it was to have superstar Shah Rukh Khan on board and as to why it was the most important film that she has ever done in her career.

Juhi said, “’Darr’ is one of the highlights of my career. Before ‘Darr’, I worked with Yash Chopra ji in Chandni and it was just a tiny bit. At that time, I was new, but still he cast me opposite Vinod Khanna ji and I had that little guest appearance.”

“That was the first time I faced the camera with Yash ji directing me, which was just two-and-half days of work.”

She added, “After that I worked in Pam Chopra ji’s production which was also a Yash Raj film ‘Aaina’. And I have said this before, ‘Aaina’ was the first time where I was called to Honey ji’s house, who sat me down and went through the entire script with me. The second time that I ever heard a script again was when Yash ji sat me down in the Gadda room at their house.”

“I was amazed as I was an upcoming artist, who was still finding her feet and here was this great director whose movies I had watched as a child, and then when I became an actress, I was sitting in front of him, while he took me through the whole film.”

Juhi said it was very rare that directors and producers wrote their whole script before going into shooting.

“However, with Yash ji, both the films that I did whether it was ‘Aaina’ or ‘Darr’, they narrated the whole script to me! It was wonderful. I do have wonderful memories of working with Yash ji. I was very young at that time and was in awe of him. It was such a big moment for me to be a Yash Chopra ji’s heroine, and that I would be directed by him. I had grown up watching ‘Silsila’, and another movie, but I never imagined that I would be in front of the camera and that the legendary Yash Chopra would be directing me!”

Juhi said she was thrilled to hear that Shah Rukh Khan would be playing the anti-hero in ‘Darr’.

She said, “When I heard that Yash ji was going to cast Aamir for the role that Shah Rukh did, I was so happy, because I had worked with Aamir in our initial films and I was comfortable with him. Then I heard that Aamir was not doing it, then I think it went to Ajay Devgn and then to some other young heroes, but they wouldn’t do it. Then finally it went to Shah Rukh. But I can’t tell you how special it was!”

Juhi said, “At that time, I was this wide-eyed young girl who was going through life and going through the whole experience… I didn’t know what I was doing or where I was heading.”

“Just experiencing these big highs and being overwhelmed with it, also being nervous, but then also finding my little joys with Shah Rukh – because I had done ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’ with him by then. So, at least, there was that comfort level. It was a great adventure.”