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It's a very real subject'

Meaningful role
Last Updated 27 December 2015, 18:35 IST

Juhi Chawla shares a special bond with Sandalwood. She became a big star in the Kannada film industry much before she made a mark in Bollywood. Her debut project in Sandalwood, ‘Premaloka’, directed by V Ravichandran in 1987, went on to become a cult movie. It was only later that she hit paydirt in Bollywood with ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’.

Juhi, who recently returned to the big screen with ‘Gulaab Gang’, is now awaiting the release of her next project ‘Chalk n Duster’. Juhi says she has always chosen her films after a lot of thought and her latest venture is no different.

    She shares with ‘Metrolife’ why she decided to work on the project, her experience of working with Shabana Azmi for the first time and her fond memories of the Kannada film industry.

Talking about how she got down to signing ‘Chalk n Duster’, Juhi says, “It’s a heart-warming story of two women, both teachers who oppose a certain issue in school. The movie not only talks about the importance of education but also exposes some of the flaws in our education system and how ordinary people get caught in a web of corruption here,” she explains.

She further states that her character is not only overpowering but also one that people can easily connect with. “It’s a very real subject and there is nothing larger-than-life about the character. I play a school teacher and I am sure a lot of people will begin to appreciate and admire their teachers even more after watching the movie.”

The project portrays the emotions of people who get pushed to the wall just because they stand up for what is fair and just or fearlessly speak their mind out. “The movie traces the life of two school teachers — Shabana Azmi and me. Shabana takes up a cause and fights until she sees the end of it and I support her in it,” explains Juhi.

    This is the first time that Juhi is sharing screen space with Shabana Azmi and she dubs the experience as “brilliant”.

“The crew of the film asked me to accompany them during the script narration to Shabana because they were a little nervous and somehow thought my presence would lend some moral support. At the end of the narration, Shabana agreed without a second thought,” recollects Juhi.

She further says, “That very evening, Shabana went and picked up costumes and footwear that would suit her role in the film. In two hours, the shopping was all done. We had only narrated the script but Shabana had gone a step further and imagined the props as well. Her commitment and dedication left me amazed.”

Juhi never hesitates to say  that she got a hold of acting and the film industry only after she worked with Ravichandran in ‘Premaloka’.

   “I learnt how to act in ‘Premaloka’ and Ravichandran is the only one I knew back then; it was a pleasure to work with him,” she narrates.

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(Published 27 December 2015, 14:03 IST)

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