Arshad Warsi has candidly admitted that he regrets being part of Rajkumar Kohli’s 2002 film Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani. Despite featuring a massive star cast including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Sonu Nigam, Armaan Kohli, and Manisha Koirala, the fantasy-action film has often been regarded as one of Bollywood’s most infamous cult misfires.Speaking to Raj Shamani, Arshad was asked if there were any films from his career that he wasn’t proud of. He replied, “My movies are terrible; they usually offend everybody. I don’t want to say all these things, but I have done some films which I am not proud of. One very famous film that is in that list is a film called Jaani Dushman.”
“Rajkumar Kohli was one of the nicest people in the industry”
While Arshad admitted he didn’t like the film, he was full of respect for its director. “Armaan Kohli’s father, Rajkumar Kohli, is one of the nicest people in the industry. When he called you for a film, most actors would say yes—purely because of the kind of person he was,” the actor shared.He went on to praise Kohli’s professional ethics, saying, “He never gave you any trouble regarding money. If he called you and told you a schedule, he would never waver from it. Your fees would reach you before you even had to ask. That’s why almost everybody has done a film with him.”
“I just needed the money”
The actor revealed a practical reason behind accepting the role — financial necessity. “I was still new in the industry, so I wasn’t aware of his reputation. I just needed the money. Maria and I were building a house, but after buying it we had no money left to actually build something. We were collecting money from wherever we could. The terrace of my home could be constructed because of Jaani Dushman,” Arshad said with a laugh.
“I told him to kill me off first”
Arshad also recalled requesting the director to kill off his character early in the film. “When he (Rajkumar) asked me to make it, I told him to kill me off first. He didn’t agree with me, and on the other hand, Akshay Kumar wasn’t ready to be killed off. He kept coming back and trying to fit himself into other characters,” Arshad added humorously.
