In the 1990s, Juhi Chawla and Madhuri Dixit were among the most celebrated stars in Bollywood. Both actresses embarked on their careers around the same time and quickly achieved success, which inevitably led to frequent comparisons and professional rivalry in the entertainment industry. This competition even led Juhi to decline a role in a Yash Chopra film due to her “ego problems” with Madhuri.
In a past interview with Zoom, Juhi Chawla recounted their parallel journeys. “We started our careers at the same time. She had Tezaab and I had Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in the same year. Throughout our careers, we were always compared to each other. It was always like one of us is number one, the other is number two, or the other way. This went on for a long time,” she said. During the early 1990s, both actresses were at their peak, delivering numerous hit films.
Juhi revealed that she turned down a role in Yash Chopra’s Dil To Pagal Hai due to the perception of it being a supporting role, which troubled her. “After I had worked with Yash ji in Darr, he wanted to make Dil To Pagal Hai, and he wanted to work with Madhuri Dixit. He asked that I do the other role. And I was like ‘I should do the other role?’ I had some insecurity and some ego problems so I didn’t do it. That was the only opportunity we had to work together,” she recalled. The role she declined was eventually played by Karisma Kapoor, who won a National Award for her performance. The film also starred Shah Rukh Khan.
Despite the missed opportunity, Juhi and Madhuri eventually worked together in the 2014 film Gulab Gang. Reflecting on their rivalry, Madhuri told PTI, “I never thought of her as my competitor. I never had any qualms about working with anyone. This is my thinking that we are actors, not horses running towards one finish line. It is a creative field, and we like certain roles and work with people we like.” Madhuri noted that she had previously worked with other leading actresses, including Preity Zinta in Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke, Aishwarya Rai in Devdas, and Karisma Kapoor in Dil To Pagal Hai.
Most recently, Juhi Chawla appeared in Netflix’s Friday Night Plan alongside Babil Khan.