Bubbling with life

Manpriya Singh

While the actors she worked with are still going strong, smashing five rowdies at a stretch and putting on fantasy superhero play suits, her contemporaries settled into quiet and peace; happy with television shows, cameos and commercials. As for Juhi Chawla, the giggly actress from 90s, what has kept her busy is more than can be managed in a day. “My kids, my family, music, yoga, radiation awareness…now I am also beginning to work on some organic farming because I eventually want to make a yoga farm-stay of my own, where you have yoga and organic farming on one entire property. I will also start looking into my family run educational institution in Gujarat, which has over 1,000 girl students,” she shares, of the life that is, before leaving for a month-long vacation!

“I am first headed to New York to meet my husband’s godmother, after which I go to San Francisco to meet my cousin. From there we move to Japan and at the end of the trip, we plan to climb Mount Fuji. So if I don’t chicken out of that last bit, I will come back with a picture of my family and me in the rising sun on Mount Fuji!”

Filmy fun

I play a teacher in Chalk N Duster, which is a film about the life of teachers. It’s a very engaging and sweet story, which will make you just want to get up and clap at the end.

Good journey

My journey has been wonderful! And I am amazed that I am still around, relevant and visible, which I never even imagined 25 years ago.

Sweeping changes

From the 90’s to the 2000’s, some big changes have happened. Bound scripts, proper departments, lovely make-up vans for artists… bigger budgets, everything is much more organised. From being simple family-run production houses, companies are now producing films. What it has now lost is the personal touch!

Up next

Whenever something interesting and nice comes along I will do it.

Regional take

Yes, I did some lovely National Award-winning Punjabi films and in the future if that production house was to come to me for another film, I would happily do it. It’s just about the right script.

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