for over five years and failed upon release. She played a small role in Gang. In 2001, she appeared in the action comedy One 2 Ka 4 with Shah Rukh Khan, in their seventh collaboration and with Jackie Shroff, the film was a flop at the box office. Chawla played three roles in the film; a haryanvi maid, a bar dancer and an undercover cop. While the film was noticed for its serious content, her comedic performance won acclaim from several critics. Vinayak Chakravorty wrote, "But the winner here is Juhi — that vintage comic flair of Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke almost comes back from the dead." Similarly, Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India "The only saving grace in this sea of confusion is Juhi. As a fast talking Haryanvi loudmouth who has the hots for her 'Ricky Martin' (Shahrukh), she is an absolute delight." The Hindu agreed with this observation, further noting her "unfailing sense of humour" and timing, which "few can match". Another release of the year was the comedy Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa opposite Govinda. Around the same time, she signed a Kannada film Adhishesha, in which she was to star opposite her Premaloka co–star V. Ravichandran. But due to uncanny reasons, the film was later shelved. Having taken a one-year break from film work, Chawla started appearing in independent and art films, and her work included critically acclaimed films Jhankaar Beats, 3 Deewarein (both 2003), 7½ Phere and My Brother Nikhil (both 2005), and Bas Ek Pal (2006). Jhankaar Beats, a musical comedy and a tribute to music director R. D. Burman, saw her play the wife of an aspiring musician. She won a Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress for 3 Deewarein, which earned her positive reviews. Director Kukunoor wrote the film with Chawla in mind, aspiring to change her image. Robert Koehler of Variety wrote, "Chawla gradually settles into a role that contains at least three different character layers to it." Chawla said 3 Deewarein was a mould-breaking film in her career, and spoke of the revealing experience in making non-mainstream films which require a more realistic approach to acting and minimal use of make-up. She acted opposite Gurdas Mann in the Punjabi-language feature Des Hoyaa Pardes (2004) which was warmly received. She said she chose the part because upon reading the script, she identified a "tremendous scope for performance". The