Anil Kapoor on 25 years of Judaai: I had said no initially, did it for family, and today I am glad because of it

The 1997 hit film, Judaai, starring actors Anil Kapoor, Srivedi and Urmila Matondkar, received immense praise when it released on February 28. Despite having an unconventional storyline, where a money-minded wife (Sridevi) agrees to have her husband (Kapoor) marry another woman (Matondkar) in exchange for money, the film won the hearts of the audience. Kapoor tells us that he was initially reluctant to sign the movie.

“I kept on saying no to the film as I could not connect with my character. I had a lot of pressure from family and the family production company as we were going through tough times financially after the debacle of Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja,” he tells us.

It was only after he watched Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan starrer When a Man Loves a Woman that he got convinced about Judaai. “I am glad I said yes, as the intention was to do it for the family,” says the actor, who feels it is “so surreal” that the film has completed 25 years of release. “It was absolutely a pleasure working with two exceptionally talented women Sridevi and Urmila. The working style was very different back then and had its own charm,” he adds.

While he was convinced about the film, didn’t people dissuade him from taking up such unconventional stories? The actor responds, “ Parinda (1989), Eeshwar (1989), 1942: A Love Story (1994), Mr India (1987), Virasat (1997), Pukar (2000), AK vs AK and now Thar– I always try not to do run of the mill films. And I strongly feel that’s one of the reasons of my longevity.”

In particular, what he still remembers is one anecdote from the shoot of the song Haan Mujhe Pyaar Hua. “all I had to do was remove my sunglasses and put it in my jacket and look at Urmila. Little did I know, the jacket I was wearing did not have any pockets and during the shot I was clueless, looking for a place to rest my sunglasses. The whole crew on the set burst into laughter and that shot made it to the final cut. Looking back at those days brings so much joy,” laughs Kapoor.