Juhi Chawla Pens Down Her Magnificent Journey In Bollywood

From being the winner of the 1984 Miss India beauty pageant to being regarded as one of the finest and most popular actresses of Indian Cinema, Juhi Chawla has proven to be an epitome of excellence in every field that she has stepped in. Apart from being an actress, Juhi is a television personality, a humanitarian and the co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.

Our cover star for the month of June is the superstar actress, who doesn’t need any more introduction, the evergreen, Juhi Chawla. Catch up on everything in her exclusive interview with Namita Nayyar, President, Women Fitness India as she pens down her journey in Bollywood and beyond.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Your journey in the entertainment world began when you won the 1984 Miss India beauty pageant. Ever since, you are regarded as one of the finest and most popular actress of Indian Cinema, having garnered particular praise for your comic timing and vivacious on-screen persona. Share with our viewers your incredible journey to become a superstar?

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

It has been due to destiny, good luck and blessings, which I am extremely grateful for. I mean as a child, I never even imagined being in the industry. But then life gave me these extraordinary chances and I am not sure what made me take them up, but I did. And now look where destiny has brought me. I remember my first film Sultanat did not click, but my second film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was the one which nobody really knew about, but it caught the fancy of audiences and became the hit it did, and gave me my career. It really gave me a good anchor in the film industry.

Throughout, my endeavor was just to do my best and be successful. The one nice thing was my healthy attitude towards work, which also gave me a long inning. So basically I just kept doing what I could by giving it my best, as I wanted my parents to be proud of my work as well as me. However, there were certain times in my career, which could have got me to stop working. One was after my marriage, as Jay’s family are all industrialists so the older relatives did, at one point, ask me if I would be willing to give it up. At that point I did think that I would have to let go of this career. But then by a twist of fate, after marriage, I still got to continue. Then after my children came, I had to take a break, after which I wasn’t sure if I would be accepted or get work. But surprisingly when I came back, I was offered films that were different, charming and smaller ones like Jhankar Beats, Teen Deewarein and My Brother Nikhil. And at that time, advertising too had started taking off, so endorsements came up too. After all that, I also did some lovely regional as well as National Award winning films. Things kept moving, slower, but just kept moving. So yes, I have been really really fortunate, for which I am very grateful.

FULL INTERVIEW ON NEXT PAGE!

This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness Org

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You graduated from Sydenham College, Mumbai with a specialization in HR. You then went on to winning the Miss India Pageant and represented India at the Miss Universe Contest. How did acting happen to you? Was it your heart felt desire to enter the film industry? Introduce us to a day in your routine?

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

Some anecdotes for college years but I’ll have to start from school, because somewhere when I look back, it’s amusing to see how life kind of unfolded. So I was in my 7th Std & I was the youngest member of the cast, it was inter-house school dramatics time, I was in the Yellow house & the yellow house was staging a play which was a spoof on Bollywood films. So the name of the play was ‘Mala meri Jaan’ & they gave me the role of Mala, so I was playing the title role of Mala. I was most excited. So we did our rehearsals, then came the day of the event & this play was staged & what happens. We came last & I didn’t get even a little prize for what I’d done.

Then we go off into college & then again there was an inter-college dramatics taking place. So I had also signed up for it. They had just about begun rehearsals for it & they were shortlisting the actors. I was keen to take part. For some reason I had to leave town for a family wedding in Delhi, I told the committee that I’ll be back & I want to act. I went to Delhi & by the time I came back & this was in Sydenham college, they had actually struck me off the list. I was not in any play. My one chance of being on stage was taken away from me. Then Ironically as I moved on in life, I became an actress which is really amazing.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Your first major role in Bollywood was in “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak” in 1988, alongside Aamir Khan, which garnered you great critical appreciation. A critic wrote “Though most people credit Aamir, this film is a classic more because of Juhi. Her charm and charisma including her “next-door girl” image created a phenomenon in India; Her plain yet so elegant salwar-suits or her innocent smile that made people crazy.” It won the Filmfare Best Movie Award, and you won the Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year. How was your experience doing the film? Do you believe that this film was a rolling stone in your career?

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak where I played this Rajasthani girl who spoke with a hum, which was quite a dignified way of speaking and that made the role very special. It was also of an innocent young girl, which was pretty close to my personality, so I could do it with more ease. It was the foundation stone of my career, what a lovely time we had, laughing, playing games, rehearsing, fighting & shooting in between. I’m ever grateful to Nasirsaab, Mansoor, Aamir, Nuzhat, Anand Milind, Alka, Udit & the entire team.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

With increasing age, ones has to take extra care of health and nutrition to stay healthy and fit. What kind of diet do you follow to stay healthy and physically fit? We would like you, to share top 5 health tips with your fans?

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

When I wake up first thing in the morning, I do drink lots of water. I eat everything in moderation as I go about my day…I avoid fried food. I meditate, do yoga in the morning or even go swimming. My go to everyday beauty regime comprises of – Clean your face first, moisturize, put on mascara, finishing powder, lip gloss, blush on and smile a lot.

Yoga has got me focused as well as calmed me down as a person. Overall, it helps me just feel better! After each session of yoga, I feel so refreshed, calm and rejuvenated. It has given me a certain kind of inner strength. A certain self assurance from inside. It has also made me much more flexible! I now adapt more easily to situations and find myself being able to work much better around them, hence yoga has benefited me in a lot of positive ways! Yoga cannot be compartmentalized no matter how and when you begin, as if you are in it, it is like a journey within and every time it takes you one step closer to yourself.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You look as evergreen and beautiful as always – what comprises your daily skin and hair care routine? 5 must-do’s when it comes to taking care of your body? One favorite beauty tip?

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

I recently suffered the most frightening chemical reaction on my scalp/ face & learnt a harsh lesson… I embraced the best beauty kit ever comprising of turmeric, ghee, almond oil, coconut oil, baking soda… I have taken the organic route & use DIY face & hair masks. My haircare routine comprises of…believe it or not, its Oiling my hair.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You made a full-fledged comeback in 2014 with the heavily hyped woman-centric ‘Gulaab Gang’ and eventually won the prestigious Best Actress award at the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards ceremony for your performance. How was your experience doing this film where you played a very challenging role? How did you prepare for the role of the “villain”?

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

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! It was a totally dark role, and which I had a great time working on! It turned out so fantastic that even I was very impressed!

It was a challenge, earlier when I started out I did have my apprehension about.. that would people believe me doing that role because I always am known to play cute and have a sweet, nice image… so I was worried about would people believe me when I play a negative role and it does happen that bad one does lose in the end. I came to terms with that..and at the end Madhuri going to have an upper hand but I fought with the battle inside my head but once my head was clear, I knew that the goal is very exciting & I did it with a lot of enthusiasm. I had a great time.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Looking back at all bygone years, how would you like to define your experience being a part of the Indian Film Industry? Also, do you feel the industry is now changing for good especially for women?

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

We remember more the recent events than things that have happened a little further. Let me take you down the memory lane. There have always been every year, 1-2 films which were female oriented, not just in the past 5-6 years but I think through all the years of the industry, otherwise why do you think you remember actresses like Tabu, she did Astitva & few others that got her recognized as a serious actress. Then you had Sriji who did a films which were a little off-beat, you loved her in those, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, they became because you liked them in commercial films but you also liked them in films which were heroine oriented subjects. Madhuri had done a Mrutyudand & that is why suddenly you took her more seriously, inspite of all the Dhak -dhak & all the naach-gaana there were films which made her a serious actor, for me there was My brother Nikhil, Teen Deeware, even a Jhankaar Beats which was off-beat & a little different, gave me that recognition of being a good actress. We all had our time & we all gave such 1-2 films which stood out from amongst the crowd.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

As an anti-radiation activist, you have created a lot of awareness among the young generation on the harmful radiations of electronics, and have also spoken about the menace of using plastic. Share with us your thoughts on improving our society by making these small yet important changes.

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

In the past few years, I started to do organic farming, this is in the little farms that I have outside of Mumbai, once you have children, you start thinking about health, about their health & what you’re feeding them. It’s very disturbing that we have chemicals in our food, in our fruits, in our vegetables, so since I had the land & since it’s beautiful. One of my farms is actually also on the banks of the river Vaitarna, it’s a beautiful place, I grow lots of fruits, I also feel good because I’m planting a lot of trees, again this year I’m planting lot of about 70-80 more trees, so I have about more than 500 trees on the land so it makes me feel good that we are doing something for the earth & also at least whatever we get from the farm & whatever we eat, it is clean & healthy. I believe we actors have a power if used wisely can be for the betterment of the society. With the presence of actors on social networking sites, we can use the platform to spread more awareness & positivity. I’m not sure if I’m able to do my best for the causes I support but I use every platform, every event, or appearance that I make to talk about these little things that can make a difference.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Your fans would love to see you soon on the big screen. Tell us about your future projects that you’re working on.

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

I recently finished shooting for the first leg of Shelly Dhar’s film ‘Ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga’, there’s this another psychological thriller with Arshad Warsi. I also play a role in the Gujarati film, adaptation of Marathi film Ventilator.

Apart from that I visit our gurukul in Porbunder regularly, an institution my father-in-law set up & now the responsibility has been passed down to us. We plan the curriculum, activities… My Citizens for Tomorrow project keeps me busy as we’re now actively working towards & meeting important people who are instrumental in creating awareness for the plastic ban in Maharashtra.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Women Fitness works with a goal to reach out to women all over the world providing them with best in health & fitness. What do you wish to say about the website (Womenfitness.org) and don’t forget to add a word for our readers?

Ms. Juhi Chawla:

Very very simply, if god wanted you to have a piece of a radiating instrument next to your body he would’ve sent to this earth with a telephone attached to your ear, but he didn’t do it, we’re doing it. Mobile phones, wifi devices though we cannot see it are not working by magic, they’re working on air waves, these air waves are similar frequencies to microwaves. Overexposure to these air waves in the long term will affect your health is what I try to tell people. I do not mean to say that they must throw away their devices, but I certainly tell them they have to be more careful about how much they use them & how they use them.

If you’re reading this, promise me that you’ll read more about what is exposure of plastic doing to you & your body, there are many earth friendly alternatives to plastic available in the market, try to do your bit for the environment. Don’t forget to drink enough water & never let that smile fade!

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This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness Org