Did you know Juhi Chawla said no to Raja Hindustani when director Dharmesh Darshan told her ‘you’re not Madhuri Dixit'?

Juhi Chawla and Madhuri Dixit were not only the leading ladies of the 90s but their rivalry was among the most talked about things in the town. In fact, the Salaam-E-Ishq actress refused to do a film when she was told that she wasn’t as big a star as Dixit. Filmmaker Dharmesh Darshan, who is known for directing films like Raja Hindustani, Lootere, Dhadkan and others, shared one incident, which confirmed their rivalry in the 90s. After delivering a blockbuster in the form of Lootere, Dharmesh wanted to reunite with Juhi for Raja Hindustani but the actress was not convinced about the genre as it was not an ensemble project like their previous collaboration. The filmmaker tried to convince the actress by comparing the simplicity of Raja Hindustani to Sooraj Barjatya’s 1994 _Hum Aapke Hain Koun_! featuring Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit. “She turned to me and said, ‘But you’re not Sooraj Barjatya.’ Something came on to me, I have a big ego and I said, ‘You’re not Madhuri Dixit.’ On that little thing, she said no to the film. But she’s educated, so next day, she apologised and asked me to see her again,” said Dharmesh in an interview with Lehren.

The filmmaker revealed that the day when he was supposed to meet Juhi, he went to Karisma Kapoor and narrated her the story, who was finalised for Raja Hindustani. He revealed that even Aamir Khan was approved of his choice. Eventually, both stars won the Best Actor awards for their portrayals. In 2010s, Juhi and Madhuri finally buried the hatchet and worked together in 2014’s Gulaab Gang, which was directed by Soumik Sen. The bubbly actress bowled the audience with his impeccable performance as the lead antagonist of the vigilante venture.