I am delighted that my OTT debut has been with a series like Yeh Meri Family 2: Juhi Parmar

Juhi Parmar the versatile actress who is even today remembered for her fabulously engaging lead role in Kumkum -Ek Pyaara Sa Bandhan, has had a long career which has been fruitful in many ways. After trying out varied roles and genres in the medium of television, we recently saw Juhi embark on a new journey in the OTT medium. This journey placed her right into the hearts of her fans yet again. Her OTT debut with TVF’s Yeh Meri Family 2 on Amazon miniTV, has been a feather in her cap.

As we know, Yeh Meri Family 2 has been a collaboration of TVF and Sudhir Sharma and Seema Sudhir’s Sunshine Productions.

In a candid and exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz.com, Juhi talks about this mighty OTT debut, her future and the kind of roles that she wants to be a part of in future.

Excerpts:

You are back with a bang with Yeh Meri Family. How is the performer in you happy?

I am extremely happy to be a part of this series. I absolutely loved playing Neerja in Yeh Meri Family. It was such a breath of fresh air to play a character which is so relatable and real.

How challenging was it to play a character from the 90’s era? What was the plan you adapted to?

There is so much connection that I have with the 90s. When I think of the 90s, it is my childhood. So I have lived in this era. There is so much familiarity with it that it was not something that I had to plan on. It came very naturally.

An association with a brand like TVF, how does it feel?

I am delighted that my OTT debut has been with a production like TVF. They are a King when it comes to making content. They have made such brilliant content. I am happy that I started with them, and I look forward to many more projects with them.

How will you call this phase in your acting career? Will the approach be slightly different from the past?

Fortunately, every phase of my career has been wonderful, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, I think it was about time that I entered OTT. I am happy with this development. I am looking forward to playing diverse characters and trying out different characters, which I have not yet played.

What are the kind of roles that attract you now?

I have always looked for characters that have substance in them. It is not that now, after being here for so many years, that I look at characters this way and not earlier. I have always been very choosy in picking the roles. There is nothing that can make me say yes to a project or a character which is not giving out the right message. I have tried to maintain that, and I hope to continue playing such characters.

Growth with experience, and growth with age – What have your learnings been from this industry?

The biggest learning is ‘Change is the constant’. We have to always adapt to the change. This is not just the learning from the industry, this is the learning of life. Nothing stays the same forever. You have to mould yourself to the changing times and the new trends and try to move with time.

As a single parent, how tough is it for you to get back to the grind of acting?

It is difficult as a single parent to balance it out. But what is life without challenges? To conquer challenges is what gives you confidence. And that is what I have been doing. I am blessed and thankful that I have the most supportive parents, who are my backbone and take care of everything when I am at work. I can handle my lifestyle smoothly because of their help and support.

We keep reading your blogs on parenting. What is the biggest learning that you have got as a mother?

Every day as a parent comes with new learning. You have to incorporate these learnings in your life so that you do not make the same mistakes, because parenting does not come with a manual. I try to be more of a real parent and understanding too. What I have learnt is that your child is more secure when you understand your child. The child does not look for shoulders to cry on and ears to listen, outside the house. Be the parent that your child can come back to, even after doing a mistake, and not run away out of fear.

What are the kind of platforms or projects that we will see you in, in times to come?

I am open to all kinds of platforms. What I look forward to is diverse kinds of projects. The medium does not matter to me. Yes, I am in talks for a couple of other projects. So, hopefully, soon, I will know which medium you will see me in.

Anything that you want to do differently this time around?

I cannot plan on how differently I will do things this time around because I am not aware on how different kinds of characters that will get offered to me. I am at a phase where I am looking forward to exploring different characters. I hope I play characters which will surprise my viewers.

The response to Yeh Meri Family has been brilliant. What will you want to say about it?

We all knew that this is a beautiful project. I am overwhelmed by the response. It is amazing. We did not know that people would receive this project with such open arms. I couldn’t have been happier that this is the project with which I entered OTT.

Take us through the experience of shooting with Rajesh Kumar?

It was wonderful shooting with Rajesh. He is a very good co-actor. His comic sense and timing are too good. The atmosphere on the set used to be really funny and light. It is good to work with a co-actor who does not have hangups and who is always there to make scenes better. I have been lucky to have got co-actors like that.

What are your professional goals now?

To play characters which are full of substance, that stay with you, and make a home in your heart. I have tried to do interesting characters over all these years. Going forth, I will try to pay even more diverse characters and roles which people will be taken in for surprise when they watch me.