Before meeting director Anusha Rizvi for The Great Shamsuddin Family, Juhi Babbar had not been familiar with her work. So, she was surprised by Rizvi’s firm belief that Babbar was the perfect fit for the eldest daughter of the Shamsuddin family.

“She had already seen my plays. We met at Prithvi Theatre and she was acting so friendly, telling me she knew me inside out, describing to me how I sit, pose, and talk. But it was the first time we were meeting. What amazed me is that she was so sure she wanted me for this character,” Babbar shares. She is only glad she surrendered to her director’s vision, as the JioHotstar film brought her together with co-stars she now calls friends — especially Kritika Kamra and Shreya Dhanwanthary.