Juhi Chawla's ability to bring a smile to the audience with her distinctive expressions and slapstick humour is second to none, especially among top heroines from 1990s' Hindi cinema. While the actor is equally remembered for her more serious roles, such as in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Darr and Friday Night Plan, to name a few, her comic performances even in smaller roles have great recall value even after all these years. Some of these have flied under the radar a little bit, although others have enjoyed greater resonance thanks partly to how good those films are. Without further ado, here are five times Juhi Chawla put her comic chops to good use in mainstream Hindi cinema.

One 2 Ka 4

Talk about underrated performances. Juhi's role as the chirpy yet intelligent undercover agent, Gita Chaudhry, opposite Shah Rukh Khan is one such character. While the film takes a serious tone towards the end, its initial portions are full of hilarious stretches, thanks mainly to the chemistry between Juhi and Shah Rukh. Who can forget that moment when Juhi yells, "Saab ji ne mere haath pakad liya (Sir has grabbed my hands)," only to get Shah Rukh's lonely detective into some trouble? Juhi's transition from the quick-witted neighbourhood girl to the action-oriented undercover agent is also quite seamless in the film, but few things beat her impeccable comic timing.

Andaz Apna Apna

Juhi Chawla plays a blink-and-miss role as herself in Andaz Apna Apna, the madcap comedy from writer-director Rajkumar Santoshi. The actor has portrayed herself many times, but few such cameos are more memorable than the appearance she makes in a dream sequence involving Aamir Khan's Amar in the film's first scene. When his character sees her for the first time, he tells himself, "Aila! Juhi Chawla!" It is a line that legions of Andaz Apna Apna can recall without having to think twice, as is the moment where Amar stutters like hero in Darr and Juhi goes, "Mujhe laga, Shah Rukh Khan aa gaya" (I thought Shah Rukh Khan came). You can argue that the comedy practically writes itself here, but it will not be the same without Juhi Chawla's subtle expressions bringing an extra layer to the character, which makes it more than a mere parody of her previous work.

Yes Boss

How can we have any list of Juhi Chawla films without a mere mention of Yes Boss, where she stars alongside her most iconic onscreen pair, Shah Rukh Khan? It is an impossible task. In writer-director Aziz Mirza's film, Juhi brings a sense of enigma and a great knack for comedy to the role of Seema Kapoor, a modelling aspirant who wants a luxurious life.

The actor effortlessly marries her character's free-spirited personality, which is in stark contrast to Rahul's (Shah Rukh) subservience.​ Besides owning all her witty and sharp dialogues in Seema's exchanges with Rahul, Juhi also makes her reactions to the awkward situations in the film authentic. Besides, Juhi's child-like expressions in the ‘Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon’ song serve as a reminder of how comic acting is not always about saying funny lines. Sometimes, it is also about complementing your co-stars without doing too much.

Ishq

Acting opposite Shah Rukh in one film and with Aamir in the next and all in the same year. Female stars can only dream of such back-to-back collaborations in this day and age. Juhi Chawla did it in 1997. Right after Yes Boss came Ishq to the theatres. While the film may be best remembered for Aamir and Ajay Devgn's combination scenes, especially one where they almost fall from a great height, Juhi brings a lot in terms of physical and over-the-top comedy that adds to the film's agenda to take the audience on a laugh-a-minute ride. Take, for instance, the moment where her character tells a seller that a perfectly fine shirt is "defective," only to rip through it with her hand and give a snake-like gesture to the salesman. Such moments sit perfectly with Juhi's street-smart character. That said, Juhi also shoulders the film's few dramatic and emotional moments with aplomb.

Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

Juhi Chawla plays a reporter who is often trying to gain an upper-hand over her male counterpart (Shah Rukh Khan) in this 2000 satire on the field of media. The reporter's constant, witty competition with her counterpart lends a lighthearted touch to the film, which also has major things to say about how the field of journalism operates in India. A couple of notches below Ishq in terms of the comic meter at which it operates, the role shows the actor's versatility to bring some quirks to a media professional without losing her dignity and broader identity. Moreover, few onscreen pairs flirt as comfortably onscreen as Juhi and Shah Rukh do in this film.