Interview: Working with Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan in future is a possibility, says Juhi Chawla

Veteran actress Juhi Chawla, once a leading lady of the industry, recently won Dadasaheb Phalke Award for her performance in critically acclaimed movie Chalk N Duster. Juhi has till date won several awards, and a series of nominations in her 31- years long career. The 49-year-old still has a lot of acting left in her, and her recent performances suggest the same.

In an exclusive interview with International Business Times India, Juhi spoke about a host of things – from her wish to work with Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan to the response she received for her comeback movies. Here are the excerpts from the interview:

1) After winning a number of Filmfare and other awards, you have now won Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award for your performance in Chalk N Duster. How important is this award for you?

CND is one of the films, which I truly with all my heart think to be one of my really good films. I have put in all my energy and attention into it. I genuinely thought it was a very good subject. The treatment was also very interesting, it grips you right from the word go. It makes you smile, it really touches your heart. It makes you look into the world of schools and teachers in a more humane way. It makes you connect with them so beautifully. It was one of the films I'm truly proud of and I'm very glad that I've this prestigious award been given to me for this film. I'm thankful to have worked with Amin Surani and his team. It was a fun-filled experience.

2) Your performances in both of your comeback movies -- Gulaab Gang and Chalk NDuster -- have been critically acclaimed. But the movies did not fare well at the box office. Do you now wish to take up movies that are more likely to be commercially successful as well?

We do wish that they had done commercially even better. How can you ever really be sure to take up a film that will be commercially successful. If you're saying do more naach-gaana kind of films, no I wouldn't simply do it for the sake of doing a film now. I do a film where in I truly enjoy listening to the script, where I feel that a script is holding my attention then I feel confident that it can hold the attention of the audience. I truly go by the script and what it feels like. Even today I'm very proud of both my films. Of course, I would have been more happy had it been a box-office hit but even if it isn't, I know these are films I'm always going to look back and say it was good work that I did. Anytime anyone sees them on television, they are going to enjoy watching it. I'm feeling good about them anyhow and that's how I would like to choose my films. Whenever anyone sees any of my films, they should say... that's good ya.

3) Of late, female-centric movies with younger actress are being appreciated commercially but it doesn't meet the same expectations when veteran actresses are cast. Your thoughts?

I'm not sure which film you're talking about. Which film has a veteran actress and it has not been appreciated? Let's say a film like English Vinglish was commercially successful and I've watched it in the theater and I was totally charmed by Sridevi Ji's acting, on the other hand if you were to say Neerja, that was for the younger actress. I think it depends on the script, what fits whom, you know where a film requires romance or something like that. Even I prefer watching youngsters. I prefer watching a nice young couple but if it is a story which needs a mature person, mature performance and presence, then you can't expect a young girl to do it. It goes from film to film and script to script.

4) You had worked with both Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan in multiple hit movies but not many with Salman Khan. Why is it so and do you regret not sharing the screen space with him?

I'm telling you till today I'm asking him that, how come we never got to work and really it's something even I'm not clear about. But we never know what happens in the future. There will be a film where they will require me in the film and Salman might be there, so who knows. We are still around in the industry with some more years to go. Hopefully something will happen in the future.

Check 10 gorgeous pictures of Juhi Chawla in the slideshow here:

5) Among the current crop of actors and actresses, who is your favourite and why? (one actor and one actress)

You know I don't like to answer this question that who is my favorite, because I see a lot of new generation kids who I've seen running around on the sets when I was working. When I was doing Bol Radha Bol with Chintuji, Ranbir was like 11- 12 years old running around on the location, when I was doing Deewana- Mastana and Sonam used to come for the shoots and she was a teenager or something at that time. Again Rohit Dhawan and Varun, they were very very young when I started my career in Swarg. During Mr & Mrs. Khiladi, we had gone to Toronto and Davidji's kids had come, our cinematographer, his kids had come and I used to hang out with all these kids during on-location and in-between shots and I even have pictures of all of us together. So I've seen them growing up, for me they are all my favourites.

6) Unlike earlier, a lot of female-oriented movies like NH 10, Queen and Dirty Picture, among others, have been both critically as well as commercially successful. How do you feel about it and according to you, why such movies didn't happen more often during your time?

We remember recent events than things that have happened earlier. Let me take you down the memory lane. There have always been 1-2 films every year which were female oriented, not just in the past 5-6 years but I think through all the years of the industry, Otherwise why do you think you remember an actress like Tabu? She did Astitva and few others that got her recognised as a serious actress. Then you had Srideviji who did films which were a little off-beat, you loved her in those, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, are what they are now because you liked them in commercial films but you also liked them in films which were heroine-oriented subjects. Madhuri had done a Mrutyudand and that is why suddenly you took her more seriously. Inspite of all the Dhak -dhak & all the naach-gaana, there were films which made her a serious actor. For me there was My brother Nikhil, Teen Deeware, even a Jhankaar Beats which was off-beat and a little different, gave me that recognition of being a good actress. We all had our time and we all gave such films which stood out from the rest.

7) Having spent so many years in the industry, what is one thing you would like to see changed?

I feel everything is great, the working environment, the film-making process, it's fantastic. I wouldn't want to change anything about it. I wish there were more makers and takers for smaller budget films. Though, I Am, which I co-produced with Onir went on to win National Award for the best Hindi film for the year, had difficulty finding buyers in India despite the film winning awards at festival circuits across the world.

8) You have a great equation with Shah Rukh Khan. But of late, you two are not seen together. Is there any possibility of working together again?

I have a great equation with SRK. There is always a possibility, we don't know what the future brings. I hope there is a possibility. I hope there is some subject he might require someone, like you asked earlier about working with Salman. Right now, a whole lot of them are working with younger heroines. When there is a role when they require somebody more mature to play alongside them, then I guess there will be a possibility of working together.

9) Tell us something about your upcoming projects

I recently did a cameo in a web-series directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and produced by Balaji, Ekta Kapoor. I also did a children's film, a guest appearance in Kannada and the film's name is Very Good 10/10. It is a delightful little subject, and directed by Yashwant Deshpandeji who has made many children's films. He's won several awards for his films. These are my two upcoming projects.