Pinjar, directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, is about the struggles faced by Hindus and Muslims during the Partition of India. It is based on Amrita Pritam's novel of the same name
Urmila Matondkar and Juhi Babbar. Pics/Yogen Shah
Actor Juhi Babbar says she was offered the lead role in the 2003 drama Pinjar, based on Amrita Pritam's novel of the same name, but was replaced in the end as the makers were keen to cast a "bigger" actress. The film, directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, is about the struggles faced by Hindus and Muslims during the Partition of India. The movie featured Urmila Matondkar in the lead role of Puro alongside Manoj Bajpayee and Sanjay Suri.
"There was a film called Pinjar, I was going to play the role that Urmila Matondkar played. I would not blame Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi for it; he appreciates the work I do. He was starting off then, and he had said, 'Whenever I make Pinjar, you will act in it,' but then a huge producer came on board, and they wanted a bigger actor," Juhi told PTI in an interview. The director then offered her the role of Laajo, but she said no to it.
The role was finally played by Sandali Sinha of Tum Bin fame. "I told Dr. sahab 'I won't be able to do it because my heart was in Puro (lead role) and that I'll not be able to give my best. I was thinking about the character of Puro for a year, had read the novel and then it didn't happen. So, things that have to happen will happen. I was so young at that time. Thankfully, I made some correct decisions," Juhi said. The actor said both she and Dwivedi still share a warm equation and the director praised her work in The Great Shamsuddin Family. The actor said she was also slated to work opposite Abhishek Bachchan in the 2002 film, Shararat, but again she was replaced by another popular actor, Hrishitaa Bhatt.
"I had a meeting with director Guroudev Bhalla and I didn't even come to know that I'm not doing it. Years later, Gurou sir called me when he was making a web-series and I looked at him and said, 'You do remember history?' and he said, 'Yes, and I realise it'. "He came to me with an important role in the series. Let's see when the web series will see the light of the day because there are some issues with the makers. It's a beautiful series and I got the opportunity to work with one of the best actors of our industry, Subodh Bhave. It's his first major Hindi work."
Juhi has also acted in Karan Johar-produced, Dostana 2, which reportedly has been put on the back burner. "I was doing Dostana 2, Mukesh Chabbra (casting director) got me that film from Dharma Productions. But the film got shelved, I had shot for it, 60 per cent. I took up the role on Mukesh's advice. He had said, 'Didi, do it, because people need to know you're around, and it's a Dharma film, so you'll be watched, you'll be noticed'," she said. "I was never on social media, never ever, just before COVID, I came on social media, I started making little videos, posting photographs. I came on social media after shooting for 'Dostana 2' when the team of Dostana 2 told me that I'm not even on Instagram, and that people need to see you," she added.
Juhi has been garnering acclaim for her work in her latest film, The Great Shamsuddin Family and her play, Ek Lamha Zindagi. The actor said she will continue to straddle between films and theatre. Her mother, acclaimed actor Nadira Babbar, is a theatre veteran and has a company called Ekjute Theatre Group. Before foraying into movies, Juhi worked extensively in theatre with her mother. She made her debut in 2003 with Kash Aap Hamare Hote opposite Sonu Nigam. Juhi said initially her father, Raj Babbar, had some reservations about her acting in movies. "I expressed this to my parents, my father was not very happy because (he was like a) typical protective father, and he said no. I too knew that my father would want me to finish my studies, and that's the reason I did that and then spoke about acting. But he wasn't happy," Juhi said, adding that she started working backstage.
Juhi then did a play when she was 21. Her mother offered her a role in the play called Yahudi Ki Ladki, a famous Urdu play by Agha Hashar Kashmiri (on the theme of persecution of Jews by the Romans), followed by another play called Begum Jaan. "My father was watching that play (Begum Jaan), and after that, he said, 'Juhi, you deserve a film'. This I think was my biggest achievement because my father didn't want me to act, and now, he was ready to make a film for me. "My father is the only actor who's actually made a film for his daughter because all other actors have only launched their sons. In the Hindi film industry, it was a huge step. After that, so many actors got inspired.
Today, you see this generation, where so many actors are out there promoting their daughters, which is fantastic. But the one to start it was my dad," she said. In The Great Shamsuddin Family, Juhi plays the role of Humaira, the older sister of Bani Ahmed and Iram. Bani is chasing an important writing deadline when her family, including her two sisters, mother and other relatives, land at her home. She has to complete her assignment while trying to defuse a domestic emergency. Juhi said that as the eldest child in her family, the role felt like a natural fit.
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