Juhi Chawla's collaborations with top heroes in the late 1980s and the 1990s are iconic, especially those with Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. She starred alongside Aamir in films such as Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Ishq, as well as with Shah Rukh Khan in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Yes Boss, Duplicate, One 2 Ka 4, and Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, among other titles.
Interestingly, Juhi initially did not rate Shah Rukh as a hero at an early stage of her career. In an old interview, the actor recalled the first time she met him after her role in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and some other films. The executive producer of Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Vivek Vaswani, once met Juhi Chawla for a role in the film, directed by Aziz Mirza.
When she asked about her co-star in the film, Vivek told her, '"There is a new boy, and he is from television. You must have seen Fauji (Shah Rukh's popular Army series)'. I told him I have not seen Fauji." Shah Rukh interjected the conversation by playfully saying, "Her background is not that educated," to which Juhi replied, "I did not have time for television. I was a busy artist even then."
Vivek described Shah Rukh as an excellent actor during his conversation with Juhi and someone comparable to Aamir Khan. "I told him, 'If he is like Aamir, that would be very nice because I started off with Aamir.' So I thought the film would a bit like that (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak)," Juhi recalled. Juhi then recalled her meeting with Shah Rukh for the first time on the Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman set. "What did I see? I saw a lean and lanky kid who was of brown colour with long hair. I told myself, "He is the hero who is like Aamir Khan? Then again, by then, I had already signed up for the film," Juhi recalled.
Juhi was quick to point out that she meant the aforementioned in jest only. The actor added that Shah Rukh was "very nice" to her and had a sense of confidence about him that belied the fact that he was a newcomer. "He was more at home with the unit than I was. He came and chatted with me because when we worked together, there would be no awkwardness. It was really good company because I used to laugh at his jokes. I still do," Juhi said.
