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Juhi Babbar revealed that casting director Mukesh Chhabra had approached her for the role of Kartik and Janhvi’s mother in Dostana 2.

Karan Johar, Kartik Aaryan and Janhvi Kapoor in Mumbai.
Juhi Babbar has opened up about Karan Johar’s now-shelved Dostana 2, which supposed to star Kartik Aaryan and Janhvi Kapoor. Juhi revealed that casting director Mukesh Chhabra had approached her for the role of Kartik and Janhvi’s mother in Dostana 2.
“I had been getting many calls even after Aiyaary didn’t work at the box office, especially for motherly roles. Then I got an offer from Dharma Productions for Dostana 2. They gave me the role of Kartik and Janhvi’s mother. Basically, they were playing twins in it,” she told Lehren Retro.
Juhi continued, “I thought, ‘Can I really play Kartik and Janhvi’s mother?’ This was around six or seven years ago, so I was a bit uncomfortable. But Mukesh Chhabra somehow convinced me. He said, ‘Didi, you should do it. People will notice you. It’s a Dharma film. You’re not even active on social media right now; this could be a good opportunity. Just do the film.’ I thought, ‘Alright, fine.’ Plus, it’s Dharma – you know how polished, grand, and celebrated their films are. And Dostana was one of those films everyone was eagerly waiting for.”
However, the film was eventually shelved in 2021. The official reason for the shelving is unclear, but there were rumours of a falling out between Kartik Aaryan and Karan Johar.
“Kuch toh anban ho gayi (There was some disagreement), and even though the film was almost 60-70 percent complete, it got shelved,” Juhi revealed. “Then COVID happened, so what could be done?”
While Juhi couldn’t be a part of a Dharma film, Mukesh once again approached her for Hansal Mehta’s 2022 biographical action thriller Faraaz. She recalled, “Again, I get Mukesh’s call. And he said, I know you don’t want to play the role of a mother. But do this. And I don’t remember, I was just coming out of my gym. And I said, what is it? He said, Hansal Mehta. I said, now you’re talking. I said, okay. So I got a call from the production. Kumkum Saigal, Mahesh Bhatt uncle’s sister, called me… and finally my meeting was fixed with Hansal sir.”