Juhi Chawla refused retake of kissing scene with Sunny Deol in Lootere, told Suneel Darshan, ‘As per contract, I was supposed to do one kiss’ | Hindi Movie News
Juhi Chawla’s pairing with Aamir Khan in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak remains iconic, but the early 1990s also saw her share major hits with her Darr co-stars Shah Rukh Khan and Sunny Deol. In the same year as Yash Chopra’s romantic thriller, Juhi starred opposite Sunny in Dharmesh Darshan’s successful action romance Lootere.Producer Suneel Darshan, speaking to Bollywood Thikana, recalled that Lootere marked an important phase in Juhi’s career. “I hold it as one of the most underplayed and important films of Juhi Chawla’s career. I had distributed both her launch film, Sultanat (1986), and QSQT (1988). Juhi Chawla had great potential. So, we decided to cast her in Lootere,” he said. But he also noted Juhi’s early hesitation about the film’s glamorous demands.“There was a beach song in which she had to just wear a shirt and get wet — ‘Main Teri Rani Tu Raja’. So, there were some reservations. Meanwhile, Divya Bharti was emerging. She was very keen. She wanted to be a part of the movie. But I felt she didn’t fit the role. So, Juhi qualified in the heads of both Dharmesh and me. Then Juhi came onboard,” Suneel added.
‘Juhi was convinced, but also confused’
According to Suneel, Juhi had a strong girl-next-door image, which made it challenging to present her in a more sensuous avatar. He also revealed a “cute instance” involving a key lip-to-lip kissing scene between Juhi and Sunny Deol — something that Juhi was initially uncertain about.“When we narrated her the film and signed the contract, there was a key lip-to-lip kissing sequence between Juhi and Sunny. So, the first time we tried to shoot that scene, we saved it for the end. We’d erected a set outdoors, but realized that day that Juhi was missing,” Suneel recalled.He claimed Juhi excused herself from the shoot, citing another film commitment in Udaipur. Still, the producers pushed to complete the scene later because it was “important for the walls of inhibitions between them to get dismantled” and was essential to the narrative — not added for sensationalism.
‘As per contract, I was supposed to do one kiss’
Suneel said director Dharmesh Darshan shot the sequence with multiple cameras to ensure it could be completed in a single take. Juhi wrapped the scene and immediately changed into a robe to leave. However, the team felt the shot required a retake.When Suneel approached her for another take, Juhi firmly reminded him of her boundary.
“‘Mr. Darshan, as per contract, I was supposed to do one kiss. I’ve done that already,’ Juhi told me,” he recalled.Suneel described the moment as sweet in retrospect, calling it “childishness” but also an endearing memory. The makers eventually retained the first take in the final cut.“It’s a remarkable film in Juhi’s career. The whole film revolves around Juhi. It was a big thing to have a heroine-centric film that had a hero at that time,” he added.
