- Juhi Chawla initially rejected the film Jhankaar Beats after reading the script
- She objected to a scene featuring a giant fluorescent condom and asked for its removal
- The controversial scene was removed to secure Juhi Chawla's participation in the film
Director Sujoy Ghosh's musical comedy Jhankaar Beats (2003) featured an ensemble cast including Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri, Rahul Bose, debutant Shayan Munshi, Rinke Khanna, and Riya Sen. But did you know Juhi Chawla rejected the film after reading the premise? During a recent conversation, the director spilled the beans and shared how he made Juhi change her mind.
"She read the script and was shocked. She said, 'I'm not doing this,'" Sujoy Ghosh told Screen.
Asked the reason behind Juhi's rejection, Sujoy Ghosh said she had reservations about a particular scene.
"So there was this scene where Deep (Sanjay Suri) is not having a good day. Lots of tension at the office, and he's unable to crack the advertisement they are working on. His mother-in-law is also staying with him, and the new baby is on the way. He has a dream that Shanti (Juhi Chawla) has delivered, and the baby has arrived. But when he picks up the baby, the baby has the face of his mother-in-law. And suddenly, he realizes there's something very bright behind him. He turns, and he sees this giant fluorescent condom, dancing and telling him, 'Had you used me? Aaj yeh din dekhna nahi padta.' (You shouldn't have to see this day). So Juhi said, 'If this scene is there, I'm not there.' So we removed the scene," Ghosh elaborated.
In the same conversation, Ghosh also shared how Juhi was an inseparable part of the film. "Juhi was probably the saviour of the film. She was the star we needed to make the film happen. Without her, we wouldn't have got the film. And without Shanti, her character, I would have never made the film. Because Shanti was, again, you know, my early Vidya Bagchi (referring to the character of Vidya Balan from Kahaani)," Ghosh recalled.
Jhankaar Beats was Ghosh's early brush with mature comedies before he went into a thriller-making zone. The film was remarkable for its music, reviving the old classics of the legendary R. D. Burman. Vishal-Shekhar, who composed the music for the film, also got widespread recognition after it.
