Some roles stay with you for life. Urmila Matondkar’s turn as Janhvi in ‘Judaai’ is one of them, and nearly three decades later, she has finally spoken about what it actually felt like to stand in front of Sridevi on set and perform.
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Urmila Matondkar has been revisiting one of the most beloved chapters of her career. While appearing as a special guest on India’s Best Dancer Season 5, she spoke about what it was really like to film ‘Judaai’ in 1997, sharing stories that gave fans a candid look behind the cameras of the iconic Bollywood drama.
India’s Best Dancer Season 5 premiered on June 6, 2026, airing every Saturday and Sunday on Sony Entertainment Television and streaming on Sony LIV. The show features Karisma Kapoor, Jaaved Jaaferi, Geeta Kapur, and Terence Lewis as judges.
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Urmila appeared on the show as a special guest, and the conversation inevitably turned to Judaai, the 1997 film that remains one of the most memorable performances of her career.
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Urmila did not mince her words about what it felt like to work alongside Sridevi. She spoke in Hindi, explaining her feelings in full.
“Ye film South mai already bohot badi hit ban chuki thi lekin jab main ye film karne gayi toh itna funny laga aur itna vichitra laga mujhe laga ki main kaise karungi ye scene sach mein. Agar vo scene dekho upar se, vo bhi the one and only Sridevi ke saamne, jin ke saamne khade rehne ke liye paseene chhoot jaye aur unke samne iss tarah ke scene karna, kyuki vo bohot hi dedicated, passionate kala kaar the, mujhe alag se kehne ki zarurat nahi hain, and ofcourse the one and only legendary Anil Kapoor ji.”
In her own words translated: the film had already become a huge hit in South India before she joined the project. But when she arrived on set, she genuinely wondered how she was going to pull off those scenes. Standing in front of Sridevi alone was enough to make anyone break into a sweat. Performing those particular scenes in front of someone so dedicated and passionate as a performer was a whole different challenge. And doing it all alongside Anil Kapoor made the experience even more intense.
She specifically referred to the song ‘Haan Mujhe Pyaar Hua Allah Miya’, which required her to share the screen with both Sridevi and Anil Kapoor in a way that was, by her own admission, funny, unusual, and deeply intimidating all at once.
It is worth noting that Urmila was not alone in feeling the weight of Sridevi’s presence. Anil Kapoor himself has previously spoken about how nervous he was dancing with both Sridevi and Urmila on the film, saying on Instagram: “I still remember how nervous I was, dancing with Sri ji and Urmila as they both are such incredible dancers.”
Judaai, released in 1997, was directed by Raj Kanwar and produced by Boney Kapoor. The film told the story of a wife who exchanges her husband for money, only to regret the decision when a third person enters their marriage. It was a bold premise for its time and the film delivered commercially and critically.
The cast brought together some of the biggest names in Bollywood. Sridevi played Kajal, the first wife. Urmila played Janhvi, the woman who enters the picture. Anil Kapoor played the husband caught between them. The supporting cast included Kader Khan, Farida Jalal, Johnny Lever, Paresh Rawal, Upasana Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Dinesh Hingoo, and Saeed Jaffrey.
The film had a particular connection to South India. Before its Hindi release, it had already built a strong audience in the South, which Urmila acknowledged during her appearance on the show.
‘Judaai’ sits among Urmila’s strongest performances, alongside films like ‘Rangeela’, ‘Satya’, and ‘Kaun’. She played a morally complicated character in ‘Judaai’ and held her own against one of the biggest stars in Hindi cinema at the time. The fact that she found it intimidating behind the scenes made her performance on screen even more impressive in retrospect.
As of 2026, Urmila is set to make her OTT debut with a web series titled Tiwari, which has been in post-production.
Sridevi passed away in February 2018. She remains one of the most celebrated actors in the history of Indian cinema.
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