Juhi Chawla and Aamir Khan are celebrated as one of the most beloved on-screen duos of the 90s, having starred in iconic films such as “Ishq,” “Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke,” and “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.” The pair shared a close friendship off-screen, but during the filming of “Ishq,” Aamir and fellow actor Ajay Devgn pushed their prank games a little too far, which left Juhi feeling upset.
Juhi and Aamir shot to fame with “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak,” released in 1988, which served as Mansoor Khan’s directorial debut. The musical romantic drama chronicled the story of two lovers who elope and face the consequences of their actions. The movie received several accolades at the 34th Filmfare Awards, including Best Male Debut and Best Female Debut. Following this success, Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla reunited for “Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke” and “Ishq,” the latter also featuring Ajay Devgn and Kajol.
Ajay and Aamir are known for their playful antics on set, often directing pranks at their co-stars. Anecdotes from their time on film sets reveal their mischievous nature; one infamous story involves Madhuri Dixit chasing Aamir away with a bat after he cheekily spat on her hand while pretending to read her palm. Flashing back to her own experience, Juhi recounted an incident in an interview with Savvy Magazine, recalling how Aamir and Ajay’s antics almost brought her to tears during the filming of “Ishq.”
“Aamir was somebody I liked as a friend. We used to fight about tiny things. Once, we fought over something stupid and didn’t speak to each other for some time,” Juhi shared. “We were shooting for ‘Ishq,’ and Aamir and Ajay would pull pranks on me. They went on till a point where I almost cried. I was upset and, in an egotistical moment, declared that I would not shoot the next day.” Her frustration led her to follow through on her word, skipping a day of filming. The next day, Aamir, Ajay, and Induji visited her to apologize.
Juhi further elaborated on the emotional fallout, stating, “But once that was resolved, Aamir got very upset with me. He said, ‘You can say anything to me or fight with me, but you cannot not come to the set. The whole day of shooting got stalled because of you. And that’s a big loss to the producer because the whole unit turned up.’” This moment highlighted the challenges actors face amid the playful camaraderie that often occurs behind the scenes.
Years later, when Juhi encountered Aamir again, she reflected on their past misunderstanding. She stated, “Years later, something happened, and I went to meet him and said, ‘Aamir, it was very stupid,’ and he said, ‘Why didn’t you just come and say something to me before?’” Both actors had misinterpreted the other’s feelings, illustrating the importance of communication to clear up misunderstandings, which can easily arise in high-pressure environments like film sets.
The film “Ishq” was released in 1997 and also featured a talented supporting cast that included Dalip Tahil, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Johnny Lever, and Mohan Joshi. Its significant commercial success made it one of the highest-grossing films that year, further solidifying the chemistry between Juhi Chawla and Aamir Khan as a memorable duo in Indian cinema.
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