Aamir Khan didn't speak to Juhi Chawla for 7 years, until one unexpected call changed everything

In a career spanning decades, Aamir Khan has carved a niche for being not just a perfectionist but also brutally honest—whether it’s about his professional choices, personal life, or flaws. Recently, in a candid conversation on entrepreneur Raj Shamani’s podcast, the actor peeled back the curtain on one of Bollywood’s most unexpected cold wars: his seven-year silence with long-time co-star and close friend Juhi Chawla.

The two, who rose to stardom together in the cult classic Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, had a falling out while filming Ishq in 1997. Aamir admits the reason was minor, but his reaction was anything but. “Juhi aur mera jhagra hua, 7 saal chala,” he confessed. “I stopped talking to her—even though we were working together. That too, over a small issue.”

Juhi Tried, Aamir Refused

While Juhi Chawla reportedly made several attempts to reconcile, Aamir remained immovable. His then-wife, Reena Dutta, even urged him to let go and move forward, but Aamir remained emotionally locked. “Juhi tried a lot. Reena would tell me—'Kaise kar rahe ho tum? Meet her, end this.’ But I wouldn't budge,” Aamir admitted.

The silence lingered, awkward and unexplained, even as the two shared the same sets and industry circles. It wasn't just a personal rift; it was a professional one too, clouding one of Bollywood’s most celebrated on-screen pairings.

The Call That Melted the Ice

It wasn’t until 2002, when Aamir and Reena Dutta announced their separation, that the tide turned. Despite years of silence, Juhi Chawla reached out to Aamir—knowing he might not even answer her call. But she dialed anyway.

“Juhi somewhere knew I might not pick up her call, but still she called me. That touched me,” Aamir recalled in the documentary Rubaru Roshni. “I realised that while we weren’t speaking, the care never went away. That’s what real friendship is.”

The gesture struck a chord. It was the emotional thaw that finally ended a cold war rooted in ego and miscommunication. Aamir, in his words, realised the value of enduring friendships over petty grudges.

Now preparing for his next big release Sitare Zameen Par opposite Genelia D’Souza, which hits cinemas on June 20, 2025, Aamir seems to be reflecting more than ever on the emotional script of his own life.