Preeti Jhangiani answers if Mohabbatein was a curse, recalls Suniel Shetty asking why she is always crying in films: ‘People wanted me in salwar-kameez’

Preeti Jhangiani, who played a pivotal role in Mohabbatein, recalled her experience of working with Shah Rukh Khan and Aditya Chopra.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | Updated: October 16, 2025 04:27 PM IST

3 min read

Shah Rukh Khan and Aditya Chopra worked on many films together like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Mohabbatein and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Preeti Jhangiani, who made her debut in the Hindi film industry with Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein, recently spoke about how the film, which catapulted her to fame, also proved to be a curse. Preeti shared that after Mohabbatein, she was stereotyped in “damsel in distress” characters, which affected her career.

During an interaction with Galatta India, Preeti also elaborated on working with Shah Rukh Khan. She said, “You can never forget your first meeting with Shah Rukh Khan. He is very charming. More than the shooting, I remember when we would play cards in the hotel in Switzerland. During that time I got to see his personality. He is very passionate and competitive and he doesn’t accept defeat, same is with Aditya Chopra. They both love to win.”

She added, “It was easy to talk to Shah Rukh and he would give advice but never preach. I had also seen him sitting on floor and talking to spot boys. He was very casual with everybody and at the same time he made everybody feel special.”

Speaking about how Mohabbatein affected her career, she said, “It was difficult to replicate Mohabbatein’s success and energy. Many of my films came after that like Awara Paagal Deewana, Waah! Tera Kya Kehna and others but nothing reached the level of Mohabbatein. That character of Mohabbatein stayed with me and people didn’t want to see me in any other role. They wanted to see me in the salwar kameez, saree and things like that, they didn’t want to see me in anything else. The film industry also had that perception of me and that’s why I wasn’t offered any other type of roles. Suniel Shetty once told me whenever I see you on screen, you are crying. That image played against me.”

Also read | Actor Pankaj Dheer, Mahabharat’s Karna, passes away at 68; son Nikitin Dheer says ‘very hard to move on’

Mohabbatein has an ensemble cast led by Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Aishwarya Rai, with supporting roles by Uday Chopra, Shamita Shetty, Jugal Hansraj, Kim Sharma, Jimmy Sheirgill, and Preeti. The film was a massive hit at the box office.

From the homepage