Juhi Chawla felt betrayed on first meeting Shah Rukh Khan: 'Duble patle se. Moti naak, mote honth. I made him a star'

The 1997 film Yes Boss, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, remains a beloved classic. During a recent GCCI event, Juhi Chawla reminisced about how producer Vivek Vaswani first described Shah Rukh Khan to her for their initial film together, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. Vaswani drew a comparison between Shah Rukh and Aamir Khan, her co-star from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, leaving Juhi with a particular image in her mind.
Juhi shared, "We had done a movie when even I was still new in the industry, named Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. Producer Vivek Vaswani said big things that your hero was in Fauji and he’s very famous and looks like Aamir Khan. In my mind, I pictured a chocolate-faced, good-looking hero, like Aamir. So I said, ‘yes, why won’t I do the movie!”
However, Juhi's expectations were dashed when she finally met Shah Rukh. "When I reached the set, that was when I first saw him. Shah Rukh, patla sa, dubla sa, brown colour ka, white shirt mein duble patle se. Moti naak, mote honth. Maine bola, ‘ye kya hai?’ Ye toh mere saath dhokha ho gaya. (Shah Rukh was thin, brown coloured man standing in a white shirt. I asked, ‘From which angle is he looking like Aamir Khan? I have been betrayed)," she said.

Despite her initial disappointment, Juhi decided to go ahead with the project. "Dekho, usko bhi star bana diya maine (See, I made him a star too),” she joked.

Reflecting on her experience, Juhi added that working with Shah Rukh turned out to be a delight. "The director would lean on to him ki jab woh aayenge to shot accha ho jayega. He used to rehearse and improve. He didn’t work selfishly. He would suggest things to you and I had great time working with him," she fondly recalled.