Never thought skipping Dilwale would become an issue: Juhi Chawla

Juhi Chawla insists that there’s nothing to cry foul about her skipping Dilwale. In a candid chat, she talks about her upcoming film, why she does women-centric cinema and more. Read on...

Juhi Chawla is surprised that she’s become a topic of discussion ever since she spoke about wanting to give Dilwale a miss. She insists there is nothing more to it than mere randomness.

The actress who will be seen next in Chalk And Duster talks about the film, rubbishes rumours of it being similar to Shahid Kapoor-starrer Paathsaala.

The actress also lets us in a little on her small screen plans. Excerpts from an interview:

Did you really skip Dilwale after hearing bad reviews Oh my God! I never thought that skipping Dilwale would become a big issue. I haven’t even seen my director Onir’s film as of now, with whom I did two big films. I just generally skipped Dilwale. There is nothing more to it. God knows where these all rumours come from.

There are talks that your next Chalk And Duster being similar to Paathshaala I have seen Paathshaala but Chalk And Duster is not in that bracket. Paathshaala was a romantic film set in a school. Our film is the story of two teachers who are proved incapable of teaching and how they struggle to regain their dignity.

Does it touch upon the issues in the education system in our country It is not a story about any social issue. It is an interesting story with a fantastic screenplay.

How was your experience of working with Shabana Azmi and Divya Dutta I have worked with Divya Dutta in two National Award winning Punjabi films. I have known her a long time; she is a fantastic actress. I sent her flowers after I saw Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Shabana ji is of course a legendary actress. It was a great experience working with her.

Is it a conscious effort to do women centric films I didn’t really realise that I was doing so. I had an interesting role in Gulaab Gang with Madhuri Dixit, where I played a negative role. Chalk And Duster had a beautiful script and I liked my character, so I agreed to it. There is absolutely no planning and strategising involved in my career graph.

Tell us about your character in the film. I am playing Jyoti Thakur, a teacher who has a modern outlook in life. She is married to a computer engineer played by Samir Soni and has a normal family life.

Are you relieved that your film is not clashing with Sunny Deol’s directorial Ghayal Once Again as it was supposed to Was it ever a matter to be worried about Both the films are so different. There is no comparison between them. I would have been happy if both films had released on the same date. In fact, I met Sunny Deol and wished him on the sets of Bigg Boss since we promoted our films on the same date.

What is next for you after Chalk And Duster I am doing a non-fiction show on television. I will talk about it soon.