Juhi Chawla has had a long and distinguished acting career that goes back to the 1980s. Having done more than a hundred films, won countless awards, and set up a production house with Shah Rukh Khan, she shows no signs of slowing down. In conversation with Priya Singh, Chawla talks about her past and her future in Bollywood.
Q. Tell us about your big break in Bollywood. Did you always want to be an actress?
A. 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, this is where destiny has brought me. I remember my first film,Sultanat [1986] did not click. But my second film, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak [1988], was one that caught the fancy of the audiences and became a hit. It gave me my career. It really gave me a good anchor to the film industry. The other thing that helped me remain a part of this industry for such a long time is my healthy attitude towards work.
Q. How significant was Qayamat Se Qayamat Takto your film career?
A. I played this Rajasthani girl in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. That was a very special role, of an innocent young girl, which was pretty close to my personality, and I could do it with ease. The film was the foundation stone of my career.
Q. Did you face many ups and downs in the early stages of your professional life?
A. There were times in my career which could have got me to stop working. One was after my marriage. As Jay’s [Mehta] family is full of industrialists, many relatives, at one point, asked me if I would be willing to give up acting. 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. After my children came, I had to take a break, after which I wasn’t sure if I would be accepted or would get work. But surprisingly, when I came back, I was offered films that were very different, like Jhankar Beats[2003], 3 Deewarein[2003] and My Brother… Nikhil [2005]. At that time advertising, too, had started to take off, so many endorsements came my way. I also did some lovely regional as well as National Award-winning films. Things were moving slowly, but I did not stop. So yes, I have been fortunate, for which I am very grateful.
Q. You played a very powerful role in your 2014 film, Gulaab Gang. This was your first negative role. What are your thoughts on the kinds of roles that are being written these days for women in Hindi cinema?
A. I have done some lovely performances in a lot of films, but always in the that goody, funny, romantic, sweet and emotional space. Gulaab Gang really stands out for me. It was a completely dark role, and I had a great time working on it.
There have always been female-oriented films. Not just in the past five or six years, but through all the years of the industry, such films have been made. Madhuri [Dixit] did Mrityudand [1997], and that is when suddenly people started taking her more seriously, in spite of all the naach gaana. That was the film which made her a serious actor. For me there was My Brother Nikhil, 3 Deewarein, even Jhankaar Beats, which were off-beat and a little different. These films gave me that recognition of being a good actress.
Q. What are your criteria for signing a film? What’s that one thing that can make or break the deal? Is it the script, the co-actors, or the role you’re being offered?
A. I am very happy with the kind of roles that are coming my way. I’ll say that now I only do the kind of work I like. In fact, anything in my life that I pick up today I take it on because I like doing it. When I did do Gulaab Ganga few years ago, I had such a great time playing a negative role and it came out so well that it kind of surprised me. I was really hoping to get some more such negative, juicy roles, but that never happened. I was always known for those fun, cute, loveable kinds of roles, though I tried to swim against the tide and do something new. Still, it is just that I’m known to be a certain kind of person that exudes some kind of fun stuff on the screen and I’ll be doing some more of that very soon.
Q. With all the new talent around, and so many changes in terms how films are made and consumed, how much has Hindi cinema evolved since you joined the industry?
A. From individual producers, we have now moved on to big production houses running in a corporate and organised manner. Earlier, the planning of films was more meticulous. I clearly remember how we would shoot a film and it would take anywhere between a year and two years to finish it. In fact, a few of my films took up to five years to complete, due to various reasons—financial trouble or dates of artists and things like that. Nowadays, I don’t think any film is made like that. In a matter of months, they wrap up their films, and within a year it’s out in the theatres. So certain things have improved. I see a lot of girls on the sets now. Up to 40% of [an average] crew is filled with young women, which is a fresh change. Right from art direction and cinematography to direction, make-up and styling, everywhere there are girls working. It’s wonderful to see that because when I joined the industry in 1990s, there were just three to four women on the sets, among the 100-125 crew present, which would include myself, my hair dresser, maybe my mother or aunt if they accompanied me, or maybe one to two women which would mostly be the choreographer or the assistant. That would be it.
Also, these days you mostly get a bound script, so you read the story beforehand and know your role very clearly before you jump into a project, whereas earlier it was amazing—we used to just know the outline of the story and we’d know who the producer, director and the hero were, and we would just say yes or no [based on that]. In fact, I do remember, the only scripts I heard in the 1990s were for Aaina [1993], which was Yash [Chopra] Ji’s production and Darr [1993]. They literally read out the whole script to me before I started shooting for the film.
Q. You will be seen alongside Sonam Kapoor and Anil Kapoor in your next film, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga. Tell us more about it.
A. I think I am doing some of my best movies right now. I instantly said yes to this film right after listening to the script. It is a perfect film with a good ending and a twist in the tale. It is all about family, relationships and yet there is a new essence to it. Working with Anil and Sonam was a great experience. What makes it special to me is that I don’t know when Anil and Sonam are going to do a film together again. They play father and daughter in this film. I have seen Sonam as a kid, on the sets of Deewana Mastana[1997], and then I have seen her blossoming into an actress. I had a lovely time sharing the screen with her. She is very chatty and wants to know all about the times we have had, about how it was working with her dad. I got a peek into her life as well, and learned about the new generation and how they work. As for Anil, it is always a pleasure working with such a dedicated and hardworking actor.
Q. What else is keeping you busy these days?
A. Apart from acting, I have developed many more interests in the past few years. 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 2,000 girl students. I look into the workings of the school there. I also have two farmlands outside Mumbai, so we have taken up organic farming. I learn a bit of music as well, and do yoga regularly. So all of this takes up my time, apart from family and work, and my days just fly. I just wrapped up shooting for Ek Ladki Ko Dekha toh Aisa Lagaand another film with Arshad Warsi and Divya Dutta. There is another one in the pipeline that I cannot talk about until the announcement is made.