How to become an actor

Juhi Chawla, the actress with a million-dollar smile, gets serious with NIKITA WADHAWAN about her new travel show and fight against plastic

n her more than a three decade long career, actress Juhi Chawla broke the stereotype of just being a pretty face. She delivered ribtickling movies like Yes Boss, Ishq,

Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke and Mr and Mrs Khiladi alongwith many other blockbusters. After Jhalak Dikhhla

Jaa, the actress is set to make her comeback on the small screen in a new role – as a narrator of the show Sharanam.

The show takes the viewers on a poignant journey to some of the most revered pilgrimage sites in India and highlights people's faith and experiences. Talking about the show Juhi says,“I am very excited about it. The places shown have been here for over 100 years, you will get to know why people go to these places for so many years and why these places were established.” Excerpts from the interview:

Do you think a travel show that focuses a lot on places of worship will connect with the younger audience?

In fact, I think this is an universal subject. This is a virtual journey to each of these places. Maybe some kids don’t care about places like these but a lot of people will like it. The places that the show takes you is filled with history which makes for a pleasant and informative viewing.

What is your idea of spirituality?

When you talk about spirituality, people assume that you are talking about sitting on a mountain but it is not that. Spirituality for me is just about connecting with myself.

Do you have any special places of worship?

It is the temple near my house which is the only place I can visit often. But I have been to some very beautiful temples like Somnath Mandir; when you stand there you are filled awe. On Maha Shivratri that comes once a year, at exactly 12 am the moon is right above the temple. People 1000 years ago knew about this phenomenon which is amazing. Even Jagannath Temple, throughout the day, the temple doesn’t make a shadow on the ground, the flag above the temple flies opposite in the direction of the wind and no bird or planes ever fly above the temple.

Will the show only cater to Hindu places of worship or every religion?

I have dubbed nine episodes of the series by now and in that they have covered Velankanni Church, Shirdi, Ajmer Sharif and will also be covering fire temples in India. They are picking up on every place of worship that has been important for people over time.

You have also actively taken up the cause of educating people about the harmful effects of plastic. Why is this cause so close to you?

We as people today are suffering from complete ignorance. We are not being told things that are truly important for us. I have travelled around the world thanks to my work and my husband but what I have learned about plastic last year, blew my mind. I couldn't believe that this was happening in the world and I was unaware of it. Every animal today has some amount of plastic in their body. How many people are aware that there are islands of plastic that are floating in the oceans? Your children are going to suffer the consequence of this if you don’t take any action now.

What are your thoughts about people who also disrupt and threaten those who try to clean up the mess that has been created?

I don't think such people are aware of the problem. These people are suffering from ignorance and not true knowledge. All this information is not being thought to us in any of the books.

You also talked about banning plastic bottles in restaurants...

I am happy that the government is thinking along those lines. I know it will inconvenient a lot of people but all this plastic is only a convenience and not a necessity. It is very difficult to recycle plastic and it is very expensive and time consuming. It is better we adapt to environment freindly material.

You have replaced all the plastic in your home. How did your kids react to this sudden change?

I have replaced the toothbrush with bamboo brush. There are many plastic products that can be replaced by more environment friendly products. I replaced all the plastic items in my kitchen. Plastic releases harmful chemicals when it comes close to heat and also when you store food in it, the same chemicals seep into your food. It is not very difficult a very difficult transition, 20-30years ago, everything in our kitchen was of recyclable materials only.

How economical is this change for the middle class and the lower middle class families?

It is a circle. When you realise that this is poison for you and your children, you won't mind the cost. People don’t even know that it is not good for your health, forget about the environment. Moreover, once more and more people start buying these products the cost of it will decrease.