Juhi Chawla
Chawla at the success party of the film, I Am, 2012.
Born	Juhi Chawla (1967-11-13) 13 November 1967 (age 44) Ludhiana, Punjab, India
Occupation	Film actress, Voice actress, producer, television presenter
Years active	1986–present
Spouse	Jay Mehta (1997–present)

Juhi Chawla (Punjabi: ਜੂਹੀ ਚਾਵਲਾ born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, voice actress, film producer and television presenter.

After being crowned as the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984, Chawla pursued an acting career. She went on to become one of the top leading actresses of Bollywood and starred in films ranging from the romances Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Darr (1993) to Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), which earned her the Filmfare Best Actress Award, to Yes Boss (1997) and Ishq (1997).^[1][2] Chawla has been mostly recognised for her comic timing in films as well as her vivacious screen persona.^[3][4]

During the 2000s, after having starred in over 70 mainstream Hindi films, Chawla started acting in art and independent films. She appeared in films in her native tongue of Punjabi, and has been mostly working in parallel cinema.^[4] She gained critical recognition for her performances in films like Jhankaar Beats (2003), 3 Deewarein (2003), My Brother Nikhil (2005), Bas Ek Pal (2006) and I Am (2011).^[5] Since 2000, Chawla branched out into film production and television presenting as well.

Early life and background[link]

Juhi Chawla was born in Ambala, Haryana, India. She is the first child born to Dr. S. Chawla and Mona Chawla.

She completed her schooling from Ludhiana before the family moved over to Mumbai. She graduated from Sydenham College, Mumbai with a specialisation in HR.^[6] She was the winner of Miss India title in 1984; later she won Best Costume Award for the Miss Universe contest in 1984.^[7] She is also a very good dancer. In a Baaje Payal (a film based on a collection of interviews for dancers/actresses) interview, she mentioned having learnt Kathak for three (3) years and regretted giving it up as it could have helped her in her career as an actress. She is also an accomplished classical singer and has been training for the last 6 years.

Career[link]

Film[link]

1980s[link]

Chawla ventured into films with the 1986 Sultanat. She also acted in Kannada classic Premaloka directed by Ravichandran in 1987. Her first major role in Bollywood was in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988, in which she starred with Aamir Khan. The film, a modern-day adaption of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, became both a major critical and commercial success. It won the Filmfare Best Movie Award, and Chawla won the Filmfare Lux New Face Award and received her first nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award.^[8] The film subsequently received classic status.^[9][10]

1990s[link]

In 1990, she starred in such films as Pratibandh, which was a box office success and for which she was nominated the Filmfare Best Actress Award, and Swarg.^[11] In 1992, she was nominated for a Filmfare for Bol Radha Bol which performed well commercially.^[12][13]

In 1993 she starred in the moderately successful project Aaina, and Lootere opposite Sunny Deol and Mahesh Bhatt's hit Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke.^[14] She followed it with a leading role in Yash Chopra's thriller Darr, which went on to become the third top-grossing film of the year in India.^[14] She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke.^[15] Most of Chawla's films of 1994–6 were unsuccessful, though she received a Filmfare nomination for her performance as a battered wife in Daraar.^[16] She had a revival in 1997 with such romantic comedies as Yes Boss, Deewana Mastana and Ishq. Ishq became one of the top-earners of the year, and Chawla received her sixth Filmfare nomination for her portrayal of a model in Yes Boss.^[13][17]

Chawla's pairing with Aamir Khan and their on-screen chemistry was often cited by the media as successful.^[18] She has also teamed up with Shahrukh Khan in several movies, including Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Darr, Duuplicate and Yes Boss.

2000s[link]

Through the 2000s, Chawla started appearing in independent and art films, and her work in the genre included the critically acclaimed films 3 Deewarein, 7½ Phere and My Brother Nikhil, which Taran Adarsh termed as "amongst the finest in her career" and Khalid Mohamed praised as "perfect," stating that "her effortless blend of conflicting emotions is what A-class acting is all about. Ms Chawla is a diamond in this little gem of a movie."^[19][20][21] She won a Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress for 3 Deewarein.

She was seen in Nikhil Advani's Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love for which she received good reviews.^[22] She starred with Urmila Matondkar in Bas Ek Pal (2006) and with Manoj Bajpai in Swami. Juhi's latest releases include Ravi Chopra's Bhoothnath with Amitabh Bachchan, in which she made her singing debut with the song "Chalo Jaane Do". Another film called Krazzy 4 with Irfan Khan and Arshad Warsi was released in 2008. In 2009, she appeared in a guest appearance in Luck By Chance to play a comic part for which she dyed her hair blonde. The film got extremely positive reviews and has got a good opening at the box office.^[23]

Chawla has appeared in several non-Hindi language films. She has appeared in various Punjabi films: Shaheed Uddham Singh (2000), Des Hoyaa Pardes (2004), Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waris (2006) and "Sukhmani:hope for life" (2010). Her first Malayalam film was Harikrishnans, which also starred actors Mohanlal and Mammootty. In the beginning of her career she acted in Kannada films, which include the successful Premaloka and unsuccessful films like Shanthi Kranthi and Kindara Jogi. She acted with popular Kannada actor Ravichandran in all these three films.

2010s[link]

Her most recent release was Onir's critically acclaimed feature I Am (2011). Unfolded in several chapters, the film starred Chawla alongside Manisha Koirala in an episode named I Am Megha. She played the title role of which film critic Taran Adarsh commented, "It's a delight to watch Juhi and Manisha, after a hiatus. Both deliver striking performances – even getting the language right."^[24] For her performance, Chawla was awarded the Best Actress award at the 13th London Asian Film Festival.^[25]

Television[link]

During the 2000s, Chawla has also been presenter and host of numerous television shows, particularly award ceremonies, including the Filmfare Awards and the Zee Cine Awards. Chawla has been a judge for the entertainment show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa alongside Saroj Khan and Vaibhavi Merchant during the show's third season.^[26]

Producer[link]

Juhi later turned producer and became the co-owner of a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Shahrukh Khan and director Aziz Mirza.^[27] The first two films produced by the production company were Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani and Asoka. Their third film, Chalte Chalte was the first success for the company.^[28]

Personal life[link]

Juhi Chawla is married to industrialist Jai Mehta. The couple have two children;^[29] a daughter Jhanvi born in 2001,^[30] and a son Arjun born in 2003.^[30] Her mother died in a car accident in Prague during the shooting of the movie Duplicate in 1998. Jai Mehta and Juhi Chawla are the co-owners of the Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders in partnership with Shahrukh Khan under their company Red Chillies Entertainment.

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

As actress[link]