Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla spoke to Karan Bhardwaj about their fears and challenges of coming together for the film with hard-hitting subject
She is natural, bright, down to earth and easy going,” said one. “She is unperturbed and composed,” said the other. The two sounded like members of mutual admiration society showering praises on each other. Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, once rivals in the film industry, had enough flattering words for each other. Anubhav Sinha’s Gulaab Gang has brought the two leading ladies of the 90s together for the first time on screen and both are happy to collaborate for the project. “I had my reservations. But after meeting Soumik Sen (director), I was convinced that it was not only challenging but also something that I never tried. I was thinking if I would be able to pull it off. I took over a month to convince myself. But to be honest, I was overwhelmed when we shot the first scene together. I was little nervous thinking Madhuri Dixit is positioned opposite me. But with time, we not only got comfortable but also understood each other. She is very calm and knows her art very well,” said Juhi, who plays the character of a local politician in Gulaab Gang. She added, “I was cynical about my look. If you get the right look, half of the job is done. Things shape accordingly once you start performing that character.”
The actors visited the city in contrasting avatars. While Madhuri chose traditional anarkali kurta, Juhi sported a corporate look. Nonetheless, both looked elegant and graceful. For Juhi, Gulaab Gang is “different”. WhyIJ “let’s keep all the movies that I have done on one side, and this film on the other. First, it is a negative character. Second, I never imagined I would work with Madhuri,” she said. However, Madhuri chose to deflate the rivalry. “Why is everybody asking thisIJ Why cannot two heroines work with each otherIJ I don’t have any issue with any actor. I enjoyed the movie and my character thoroughly. This is something I also believe in,” she said. Talking about her co-star, she added, “We hardly knew each other. We would bump into each other at parties but hardly had time to meet and greet. We both were busy doing our work.”
Madhuri will also be seen doing some action sequences. “That was the biggest challenge for me. I took training, worked really hard to do all those kicks and jumps. But I enjoyed every bit of it,” she said.
Gulaab Gang talks about the struggle of women in rural India. “It was shocking to discover how badly women in villages are treated. What we see is just a fraction of reality. The real India is full of challenges, especially for women. Bechaari auratein kaha kaha se paani bhar kar laati hain, majdoori karti hain aur phir bhi mushkilon mein rehti hain…” said Madhuri.