Juhi Chawla Birthday Special: Iconic films of the 90’s superstar

An accomplished and well-recognised personality Juhi Chawla has made sure to make heads turn with her on-screen energy and performances with rich commercial and content-driven films she chooses to work in. She is undeniably one of the finest and the most versatile actresses in Bollywood. With a filmography of over 97 films, Juhi’s contribution to Indian cinema has always been appreciated, which also let her win several accolades from fans and critics. Indeed, Juhi ages like fine wine, and today as the star turns 53, here’s to remembering some of the best movies delivered by her.

Back when ‘Darr’ released it was the highest-grossing film in the country. The romantic thriller directed by Yash Chopra, the film starred Sunny Deol, Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh Khan with Anupam Kher, Tanvi Azmi and Dalip Tahil in supporting roles. The story portrays Juhi as a young college student who is in love with a naval officer and plans to marry him, but she also gets stalked by a fellow college student because of love. The ideation of the story was way ahead of its time and received several accolades from fans and viewers. The film was also reported to be a story inspired from the 1991 Hollywood film Cape Fear.

Juhi Chawla’s movie ‘QSQT’ where she shared screen space with Aamir Khan was a blockbuster. Directed by Mansoor Khan, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak is a musical romantic film which also starred Dalip Tahil and Alok Nath in pivotal roles. This was one of the iconic films created in Bollywood moreover because of the soundtrack composed by Anand-Milind as it was the breakthrough of their careers as well.

The Hindi crime film directed, written and co-starred by Nagesh Kukunoor starred Juhi Chawla, Jackie Shroff, Naseeruddin Shah and Gulshan Grover in the lead roles. The film talks about the story of three prisoners and a documentary filmmaker which is portrayed by Juhi Chawla who, while recording and filming their reformation story comes to terms with her own troubled marriage and finds redemption. It has also been reported that the story was inspired by the 1991 movie One Good Cop was it had similar plot points.

Juhi Chawla’s ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’ emerged as a commercial success back in 1992. The Hindi rom-com directed by Aziz Mirza also starred Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Nana Patekar and Amrita Singh in pivotal roles. The story revolves around a young Diploma holder civil engineer who comes to Bombay to chase his dream but keeps losing out on opportunities. He soon comes across a city girl which is portrayed by Juhi, who helps him find a job as a trainee for a construction company where she works as a secretary. Both fall in love with each other.

Directed by David Dhawan, Swarg was loosely adapted from the 1967 movie Meherbaan starring Ashok Kumar. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Govinda, Juhi Chawla and Madhavi in pivotal roles. Back in 1990, the movie was one of the highest-grossing films in the entertainment industry. The audience found the film’s plot very heart touching as it gave away a good message that one should always maintain a friendly relationship with each other no matter what. The movie is also the fourth last certified hit of Rajesh Khanna.

Daraar was a movie inspired by the 1991 American psychological thriller film ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’. Directed by Abbas-Mustan, the film starred Juhi Chawla, Rishi Kapoor, and Arbaaz Khan in pivotal roles. The story revolves around an abusive husband to tries to corner his wife which is portrayed by Juhi Chawla. Sometime later, a wealthy man falls in love with her for which Juhi pushes back earlier but soon plans on marrying him.

The comedy movie directed by David Dhawan was a commercial success starring Akshay Kumar and Juhi Chawla in the lead roles. The story revolves around a good-for-nothing slacker who must impress a wealthy man to marry his daughter which was portrayed by Juhi Chawla.

A beautiful women-centric film ‘Gulaab Gang focused on the struggle of women in India. Directed by Soumik Sen and produced by Anubhav Sinha, the film starred Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla in the lead roles. The film was the first time that two actresses from the ’90s shared the screen space. Juhi’s performance in the film won her several accolades and love from fans and critics. In the movie, Juhi portrays the negative character of a shrewd politician.