Soha Ali Khan was worried about playing best friend to Juhi Chawla on Hush Hush: ‘I had to be rude to her’

The new Prime Video thriller show Hush Hush brings the Big Little Lies vibes to Delhi-NCR. The show, about lies, deceit, and dark secrets, has been led by an all-woman cast and also directed by a female filmmaker, Tanuja Chandra. Speaking to Hindustan Times, three of the show’s stars–Soha Ali Khan, Kritika Kamra, and Shahana Goswami–talk about their equation, the show’s intensity, and their fourth musketeer Juhi Chawla. Also read: Hush Hush trailer: Juhi Chawla and her gang of rich ladies hide big little lies

One of the core aspects of the show is how women can be trapped, whether in a relationship, a dead-end job, or a situation of their own making. Talking about how relatable it was, Kritika says she has seen people like her character Dolly all around her. “I know a Dolly. I know several Dollys actually,” she says, “I have seen people face these things in their marriage or in their families- these added pressures and expectations. It’s unfortunate but there is no class divide to this. That’s why I felt this story needed to be told.”

The show tells the story of four friends living in the ultra-posh Golf Course Road of Gurgaon. Many might assume that people in such high society circles may not be trapped at all. Shahana Goswami, who plays fashion designer Zaira, adds that the show emphasizes that this feeling does not recognize privilege. “On the show, we talk about how that feeling of being trapped has nothing to do with privilege or the lack of it. It’s something that in our personal and unique way we all feel. On the outside, we look at each other’s lives and think that they probably don’t have that. What’s nice here is that in this case, you do explore each and everyone’s feelings of being trapped,” she says.

The friends’ bond and equation together forms the USP of the show. And the actors agree that familiarity between them helped get a running start, particularly in a story so intense. Kritika and Soha, for instance, have been great friends for a while. Soha says, “For something as intensely close as this, it definitely helped that Kritika and I knew each other well and there was a comfort level already–physically, emotionally. Crossing lines, making jokes at each other’s expense are things you don’t do with somebody you have just met. But you need to have that level of comfort when you are working together like we did on Hush Hush. Shahana and I also knew each other actually very well. We have worked together, have been friends. It definitely helped.”

Kritika, the youngest of the lot both on and off screen, adds, “It’s particularly important in a story like this because when you have a story of a few friends, you start out with happy times and you get enough time to break the ice doing some fun things together. Here, right in the first episode, you are thrown into the deep end, where you are baring your inner fears and insecurities. There it really helps to know your co-actors.”

However, none of them had worked with Juhi Chawla before. The veteran actor made her streaming debut with Hush Hush, bringing with herself a world of experience having worked in over a hundred films over three decades. Talking about working with her, Soha says, “That, I was certainly worried about. You will see in the series that I have to be very rude to her, very familiar with her, and very dismissive of her. Because of who she is and how warm she is, we managed to do that as well.” Shahana, however, adds that the relative unfamiliarity helped them as it fed into the story as well. “I think the fact that we didn’t know her well helped us because that contributed to the narrative. Because there is a feeling of ‘do we really know her’ between the friends too,” she says.

The show ends on a cliffhanger. Without giving out any spoilers, it can be said that it leaves several questions unanswered, leading many viewers to speculate that it is a set up for a second season. Even as the actors swear they have ‘no idea’ about season 2, they confess it is likely. “It’s definitely designed to have another season the way it ends because there are some very important questions that need to be answered,” says Kritika. Soha adds, “I think there are people who are already thinking about this and we’re there to help them along the way.”