Chiranjeevi recalls having doubts about Juhi Chawla’s ‘Pratibandh’ casting

Chiranjeevi has recalled initially having doubts about Juhi Chawla’s suitability for her role as Shanti in Pratibandh. However, her look convinced the team to cast her, and the megastar later praised her performance, particularly in the court and jail scenes

Mumbai: Megastar Chiranjeevi once admitted that he was not certain about Juhi Chawla being right for her role in the 1990 film Pratibandh.

During a throwback media interaction, Chiranjeevi shared that he had seen Juhi in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, in which she was portrayed as a bubbly young girl, and hence was not sure whether she would be entirely suitable for her role as Shanti in Pratibandh.

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However, after seeing her photograph in the look, they decided to give her a chance. Chiranjeevi said Juhi had the innocent face required for the part.

Talking about his experience of working with Juhi in the film, Chiranjeevi said, “I had seen Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, where she is a teenage girl and a very bubbly character. So, we had doubts whether she would be apt for this character or not. Once we happened to see her photograph which is similar to our get-up. Then we thought it would be nice, ‘Definitely, why can’t we cast’. And she had a similar sympathetic face, so we tried Juhi. She was so nice, and she accepted.”

Chiranjeevi went on to applaud Juhi’s performance in the film, saying that she did a great job. Mentioning one scene in particular, the ‘Megastar’ said, “And I think we are very much happy with her performance, especially the court scene. That jail scene, near the jail, when I am trying to convince her. And she did very well.”

Directed by Ravi Raja Pinisetty, Pratibandh also featured Rami Reddy in a crucial role, along with others. The project also marked Chiranjeevi’s Bollywood debut.

Pratibandh, a remake of the 1989 Telugu film Ankusam, turned out to be a commercial success at the box office.