MADHURI/JUHI pics from gulab gang shoot!

On the sets of Anubhav Sinha's Gulab Gang, former rivals Madhuri and Juhi bond over no-smoking rules and motherhood

Raju Shelar (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 12, 2012)

Madhuri Dixit's much anticipated comeback venture has finally started rolling. After Dedh Ishqiya reportedly failed to work out and Sanjay Dutt's remake of Satte Pe Satta got stuck due to unknown reasons, the actress, who was last seen on the big screen in YRF's Aaja Nachle, decided to make a sociopolitical impact by heading the cast of Anubhav Sinha's production Gulab Gang based on Sampat Pal's group of women activists in Uttar Pradesh. Mirror cameraman caught Mads on the very first day of the shoot.
Early on Tuesday morning, around 6.30 am, Mads stepped out of her car outside the shoot location in Madh Island. Juhi Chawla, who plays the parallel female lead in the film joined Mads soon after. Director Soumik Sen and his crew were already there.

Interestingly the two actresses, who were reportedly the closest competitors in the 90s, hit it off immediately. And it was partly because the film's unit had come up with a cunning plan to keep people from smoking on sets. Each time someone was caught smoking he or she had to pay a fine of Rs. 500. And the two ladies had a good time spotting the smokers and collecting the loot.
"The crew was initially a little apprehensive since Juhi and Madhuri were never the best of friends and quite cold to each other in their heydays. Also, the film has Madhuri in an authorbacked role of an activist. Juhi has a relatively smaller role as politician. But the minute they faced the camera for the first shot, the crew could sense their mutual comfort. They are no longer the fiercely competitive screen queens they used to be 15 years ago," a source from the sets told us.

Apparently, the two actresses kept discussing motherhood and kids between shots. "It was quite funny because neither Madhuri nor Juhi is known to be particularly sociable on the sets. But together these two reserved ladies opened up with one another and had a blast," added the source.

The shoot that went on till evening, saw Mads wear a pink (Gulabi) saree and dress up in a rustic way. Juhi, on the other hand wore a white and blue patterned saree and glasses hanging around her neck.
- With inputs from Subhash K Jha