Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla has delivered some amazing performances in her illustrious career. The diva has charmed her way into the hearts of many Bollywood buffs with her million-dollar smile and adorable expressions. Juhi has successfully marked her position in the Hindi film industry. But are you aware that the Darr actress was chosen to play a crucial character on the small screen, early on in her career? The 55-year-old actress was selected to essay the role of Draupadi in BR Chopra’s ambitious project Mahabharat. Despite bagging the important character, Juhi had let go of the 1988 mythological saga, after she was chosen to be part of Mansoor Khan’s iconic film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
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Helmed by Ravi Chopra, the popular Mahabharat show aired on DD National. It was scripted collaboratively by Pandit Narendra Sharma and Rahi Masoom Reza. According to India Today, the makers put up a newspaper advertisement calling forth celebrities to audition for the characters. Out of the numerous female auditioners, six actresses, namely Ramya Krishnan and Roopa Ganguly, including Juhi Chawla were shortlisted for Draupadi’s character.
Juhi was the first choice as the lead female actress for the Mahabharat makers. Actor Firoz Khan, who was roped in to play Arjun, revealed that he had practised dialogues with the Yes Boss actress, who was supposed to play his on-screen wife. But Juhi had to quit the show after she got the opportunity to share screen space opposite Bollywood star Aamir Khan in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
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Upon the departure of Juhi, scriptwriter Pandit Narendra Sharma considered Bengali actress Roopa Ganguly for Draupadi’s role. The scriptwriter had earlier watched Roopa on the television show Ganadevta and recommended her name to BR Chopra. After the Antarmahal actress’s screen test, the Tollywood diva was selected for Draupadi’s character, approved by both BR Chopra and Rahi.
As per Ravi, Roopa had the perfect ‘fire’ in her, making the actress suitable for the role. Earlier in an interview, the Padma Nadir Majhi actress shared, “They contacted me in Calcutta. They sent me telegrams saying ‘Please contact us immediately. We are looking for Draupadi and we have you in mind.”
Mahabharat had a successful television run from October 1988 to June 1989. Made on a budget of Rs 9 crores, the cast comprised Nitish Bharadwaj as Krishna, Puneet Issar as Duryodhan, Pankaj Dheer as Karna, and Mukesh Khanna as Bhishma.
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