'I always wanted to live in Bangalore'

Candid Talk

But for any true blue Kannadiga, Juhi Chawla will always be the bubbly ‘Shashikala’ of Premaloka, a movie that not only took the Kannada film industry by storm but also introduced Juhi to the world of cinema.

It has been 25 years since she made her debut in Premaloka and even today, Juhi feels like it was only yesterday she was here learning the basics from her mentor V Ravichandran.

“My entire grounding in cinema is thanks to Ravichandran sir. I feel like a pupil in front of him. He made my career in Bollywood a cakewalk,” says Juhi, who was in the City to witness the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers
Bangalore.

Sharing a strong bond with the City, the actress had gone to pray for the team in a small temple near Chalukya Circle before the match.

“As I was passing Chalukya Hotel, it brought back so many memories of the food and the shoots that I was part of. I always wanted to live in Bangalore. The lush green neighbourhoods, you see, in the old areas of the City are simply beautiful and calming. We don’t get to see these in Mumbai,” she says.

But due to professional reasons, the actress cannot think of moving here. Juggling between movies and taking care of two children, Juhi says she has her hands full. Getting rave reviews for her performance in Onir’s ‘I Am’, Juhi was more happy with the response of the audience.

“I have had many people telling me on Facebook and Twitter how much they enjoyed the movie and reading those really makes my day,” she states. Currently, the actress is shooting for a children’s film called Main Krishna Hoon. “It’s an animated film with real people acting in it. I took it up because I have a deep connect with kids and it is something we have not seen in Bollywood,” she says.  

Today, the actress has tasted success in both commercial and offbeat cinema, but has never felt the need to follow or be part of the ‘current trend’ in mainstream cinema. “My policy has always been to do what I love the most. I have never bifurcated between what’s commercially viable and what’s not. I choose my scripts based on the story and I am happy with the kind of roles I am being offered right now,” she signs off.