The singer Sonu Nigam who is widely hailed as the ‘Lord of Chords’ for his incredible contribution to the music industry, but many might not know that he also ventured into acting during the early stages of his career. Apart from his successful music journey, Sonu Nigam tried his hand at acting in films such as Kash Tum Hamare Hote, Jaani Dushman and Love in Nepal. However, despite his talent many of his films didn’t perform well at the box office and he eventually focused solely on his music career. And recently, Juhi Babbar Soni who starred alongside Sonu Nigam in the 2003 film Kash Tum Hamare Hote, opened up about the film and her experience working with him. In an exclusive interview with Lehren Retro, Juhi Babbar shared her thoughts on why the film didn’t succeed and reflected on Sonu Nigam’s acting skills.
Juhi Babbar Reflects on Kash Tum Hamare Hote
When asked why Kash Tum Hamare Hote didn’t perform well at the box office, Juhi Babbar admitted that the film, although not a major success, wasn’t necessarily bad. She explained, “Ache, bhure ki baat kare toh mera yeh manna hai ki usse bahut jyada bhuri filmein chalti hai toh aisa kehna ki vo film isliye nahi chali ki vo bhuri thit oh thoda galat hoga, aisa yeh mera manna hai.” (Talking about good and bad films, I believe there are much worse films that have worked at the box office, so it wouldn’t be right to say that the film didn’t work because it was bad. This is my belief.)
Despite the film’s failure, Juhi has fond memories of her time working with Sonu Nigam, whom she described as incredibly talented. “Well, vo hero banna chahte the aur vo bahut talented hai,” (Well, he wanted to be a hero, and he is very talented.) Juhi remarked. The interviewer, curious about Sonu’s suitability for the role, asked her if she thought he was the right fit for the character. Juhi responded, “He’s very talented, even as an actor, express karte waqt bhi bahut talented hai.” (He’s very talented, even while expressing as an actor, he is quite skilled.)
Did Sonu Nigam Fit the Hero Role? – Juhi Babbar Says…
However, Juhi Babbar didn’t completely rule out the possibility that Sonu Nigam was unfit for the role. She noted, “Magar kabhi ka bar kisi role mein ya shayad nahi fit ho paate aap. Ya jo sochke aap chal rahe hai waise hi shayad agla jo aapka mod hai waisa nahi ban pata hai.” (But sometimes, you may not fit into a role, or the path you think you are taking may not work out as expected.) While she didn’t directly blame Sonu, Juhi emphasized that despite his immense talent, some roles simply may not work.
She also mentioned that Sonu Nigam was highly in demand at the time and was a good-looking actor. “Magar vo demand mein the and he’s a good-looking man,” she said, acknowledging that he was in the spotlight as a potential hero. She further added, “Ek zahir si baat thi bahut waqt takt ha ki Sonu Nigam shayad hero banenge, banenge to uss tarah se ki vo hamare film hero banne ja rahe hai toh yeh badi baat thi.” (It was a clear thing that for a long time, Sonu Nigam might become a hero, and if he does, he will be the hero of our film, which was a big deal.)
However, Juhi also pointed out how the industry works when a film fails. She said, “Magar jab cheez nahi chalti hai, toh jitne positive point hote hai vahi negative ho jati hai. Toh bas vo negative hogaya.” (But when something doesn’t work, all the positive aspects become negative. That’s what happened.)
Juhi also discussed how, in the past, when a film flopped, the focus was often on the hero, who was overlooked for the failure, while heroines continued to receive work. She explained how the expectations from female actors were lower, and therefore, they often continued to get roles even if a film didn’t do well.
Juhi Babbar, who made her debut with Kash Tum Humare Hote went on to feature in films like Yaaran Naal Baharan, Reflections, Faraaz, and Farrey. Meanwhile, Sonu Nigam has continued to carve a remarkable path in the Indian music industry with his soulful voice, contributing to numerous iconic tracks.
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