Yogesh Mishra | yogesh@bollywoodtown.in
Despite of any circumstances, beauty pageant & Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla is still the heart-throb of millions. She dominated the industry in the 90’s and given back to back many hit movies and received several awards for her performance. For the first time she played the role of an antagonist in critically acclaimed movie ‘Gulab Gang’. Her negative role in the film was highly appreciated by the critics and the audience. Here she talks to ‘Bollywood Town’ about her childhood funny incident, upcoming South Indian film, future plans and more…
From a beauty pageant to a top Bollywood actress, how do you define yourself?
I actually dont see any reason to define myself. Life has been amazing, it’s been throwing up surprises, twists, turns, my life has given me more than I dreamed of in good happy ways and not so happy ways too. Every day is a new day, I am facing new situations, you can call it challenges, opportunities, and so I am just always trying to learn and grow, become a better person each day, think better, do a good deed each day, work on a good film, hence I am always trying to better myself. Speaking on the occasion, one thing that comes to my mind is something my grandfather had written for me in my autograph book when I was about 6 or 7 years old. He wrote that every day in every way I get better and better. I didnt understand it then, but now slowly and surely I am trying to live that deep down inside of me.
You have received several awards for your acting. Any specific award that you still wish to win?
Yes I have won awards and received a lot of appreciation throughout my career for my work. Maybe not so critically acclaimed but definitely my audience has loved me, and wherever I run into people, the way they still greet me is really heartwarming! So now, I think I would like to win a national award. That would be nice!
How were you as a kid? Would you like to share any of your childhood funny incidents?
A funny childhood incident that comes to mind is when I was in the 4th standard, and at that time my mother was very keen that I become a classical dancer. She used to do Bharatnatyam and so she was very eager that I too take up classical dancing. So I had a Kathak teacher who used to come on saturday and sunday mornings to teach me, and if by chance he would even come 5 minutes late, I would just escape to my friends house somewhere in the building, and I wouldnt tell anybody where I was going! So what would happen is that my maid and parents would be looking all over the building for me, and since we used to stay in an 18 story building, they had to check on all my friends homes to find me!
Several scandals and suicide cases happened recently in Bollywood. Do you feel Bollywood is still a safe place to work for women?
Like in any profession, you meet good people, not so good people and really not so good people, so in this profession you will have all kinds of people that you meet. When I was doing films in the 90s and early 2000s, in a unit of around 150 people on the sets there were 3 or 4 women and the rest all men. So the 3 women would be myself, my hairdresser and sometimes my Mum or my aunt who would come along with me while shooting, or if there was another female costar, then her hairdresser or someone from her team as well, though other than that there were only men on set. Now, it has changed so much! There are about 40-50% of young girls on the sets in every department! From costume to makeup to hair dressing, to even editing, directing, cinematography and art design! Even celebrity managers are all young women! In that atmosphere, in terms of safety, I think there couldnt be a better time for a young girl to be a part of this. The rest depends on the individual and how they conduct themselves, and then people treat them accordingly.
Given a chance, would you like to join politics actively?
No! I dont think I am cut out for it as I am just not that kind of a person. I wouldnt be able to deal with people from morning to night and being at the beck and call of people, it’s just not me!
Apart from Bollywood, you have also worked in many South Indian films too. Can you share something about your upcoming South Indian film?
So yes it was after a long time that I ventured into doing something for Kannada, and what I am doing in the film Pushpak Vimana is playing myself. So I do play Juhi Chawla who happens to be performing an item number, a very prettily shot Indian number in the film, which showcases at a very crucial time in the story. There is a twist which comes up around the time of the song. The song is part of an annual day in a jail and this performance happens by the dancers and me. The film Pushpak Vimana is also the 100th film of Ramesh Arvind Ji and the last time we kind of worked together was in Shanti Kranti where he was cast opposite Khushboo and I was cast opposite Ravichandran Ji, so though we worked in the same film together we didnt have a scene together, though that was the last time I worked with him, and now after years I have done this guest appearance in his 100th film. The song that I shot for was shot at a studio in Bangalore. Its a really lovely track with a very catchy tune! When I heard it for the first time I felt that this is a super hit song! The way it’s been picturised is really nice and cool. I danced after a long time as well! I must tell you that they didnt tell me I was dancing but gave me a reference where Id look cool and strum a guitar, which I thought was quite easy and then when I got there they started giving me steps to dance on! After 2 shots I was like oh my god I almost feel rusty because I am doing this after so long. But then i got into it and oh I had such a lovely time dancing to the track! It definitely is going to be one of the highlights of the film and so I wish it great success.
Do you have a performance you are most proud of, or one that’s dearest to your heart?
I have done some lovely performances in a lot of films, but always in the space of goody, funny, romantic, sweet and emotional, but the one which stands out for me is Gulab Gang which was totally dark, and which I had a great time working on! It turned out so fantastic that even I was very impressed!
What was the toughest film you’ve had to shoot?
The toughest film Ive ever had to shoot was Arjun Pandit, which was a lovely film! With Sunny Deol and directed by Rahul Rawail some years ago now. The films first half seemed like a romantic one, but the second half brought out me being almost the villian, which again had a negative shade. That film was the toughest because again me playing the negative role which was a little different, and the action sequences which Sunny Deol was great at but not me! One of the most unnerving difficult sequences was the climax of the film, which had Sunny Ji and I shooting under a running train! Had Sunny Ji not been there with me, I think I would have either fainted or just frozen where I was, or my head would have just been chopped off. We were underneath the train while it was running over our us, which was so frightening and disorienting that I kept wanting to raise my head, and had to repeatedly remind myself that if I raised my head even a couple of inches I would not have a head! So yes, it was one of my toughest films Ive shot till date
Any message for new actresses or aspirants?
I think that if you are really serious about your work and intentions, then things work out. If not instantly or overnight, but in time they do. So it really depends on what you want out of your life, how much you want, how sincere you are in your efforts, because you cannot keep a good person down. There is plenty of work to go around, plenty of opportunities in regard with film, television and theater. There is always going to be work, but if one is only hell bent on being a hero or heroine, they are then limiting themselves. If one just wants to be an actor and is talented and hardworking, I see no reason why one cannot get ahead! And I think the important thing is to keep your focus. If you have come here to work and do good work, then have a good attitude and just go for it! From my own experience of where I have been, I think then a divine hand guides you, protects you and takes you where you ought to be. So just have faith and keep your focus strong! Work must come first which is most important. Today there are lots of frills, fancies and distractions, but you have to wade through all that and just know that if you work is good you will get ahead.
What are your future plans?
My life has been getting more and busier in the last few years! Apart from films in the past few years I have developed many more interests. A lot of more things have become part of my life. The work that I do for radiation awareness, I have also recently become a trustee for our family run Gurukul in Porbandhar which has around 2000 girl students where I look into the workings of the school there, I also have 2 farm lands outside of Mumbai so we have recently taken up organic farming, so first we started with mango orchards and now it has become vegetables, and so one has to oversee all of that. I do learn a bit of music as well and my yoga regularly. So all of this does take up my time apart from family and work, and so my days just fly. This year I do have two really good script films that I am looking forward to. They are both currently in the pipeline; hence the details are yet in progress.
