‘I can recognise a lot of players’

Remember the QSQT girl opposite Aamir Khan? Actor Juhi Chawla, now married to Jai Mehta has come a long way.

Her new avatar as a cricket buff and promoter has meant she is taking more interest in the game than ever before. But Juhi is a wee bit disappointed with her team Kolkata Knight Riders’ loss in the last few games. “It is a disappointment, but ups and downs are part of the game,” Juhi says with a smile. She is quick to add, “We got off to a flying start with McCullum’s century.

The team is getting along well as a unit. There are no frictions in the team. Of course, now with some of the players leaving, the composition will change a bit.” The last time Juhi watched a match in a stadium was while she was in college, but she confesses that her knowledge of the game has increased post-IPL. “I used to watch cricket in snatches at home on TV. Now I have become much more familiar and can recognise a lot of players,” she says.

Moving away from cricket, Juhi is busy promoting her latest film. In between, she is catching up on her ad shoots. “Also coming up is Kismat Konnection, where I have a guest appearance,” says Juhi. So, have priorities changed for her over the years? “Surely it has, with age. Previously, I was running around trees, but now every film has a different requirement. Now I first see the production house, and then who is directing it. The script is another concern. Earlier, most of the scripts were written on the sets,” says Juhi.

The moment we mention kids to Juhi, her face lights up: “Oh, they take up much of my time. But it is nice to be around them.” And have they watched any of her films? “Shockingly enough, my kids haven’t watched any of my films. We have no TV culture at home,” she laughs.

Ashok Chatterjee