Aamir Khan is my inspiration, says Juhi Chawla

After playing chirpy, bubbly characters on the big screen in the’90s, Juhi Chawla is returning to the screen, albeit the small one, as the host for the television series Sharnam.

The actress, who has been away from controversies, gossips, rivalry and negativity of the film industry, attributes this to her lifestyle. “I have also been under constant stress about my films, wondering how it will turn out at the box office. I have witnessed enough rivalry between stars back in the day. So it doesn’t come as a surprise to me,” she says. “Now I look beyond myself — I lead my life differently. Halfway through my life, I realised this important lesson,” she says.

The actress, who has been extremely close to Aamir Khan, says he is her inspiration. “When I see how Aamir has evolved in his own way, it only gives me wings to fly and work harder. It worked for him because every film you pick of his is a gem,” lauds the actress, adding, “Even if he does one film in three years, people want to see his work. I want to see his films because I know what he chooses to churn out will be a quality product. We trust him so much.”

Juhi will now be sharing screen space with Anil Kapoor in her next untitled project. Telling us more about the film, she explains, “I am very excited about it because the script and even the whole set-up is exciting. Anil makes you work harder. Apart from Anil, Sonam Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao are also starring in the film.”

The actress also reveals that she has rejected a few films where she was offered to play a mother to older kids. “For me, the content of the film matters the most. But there have been times where I haven’t been quite comfortable playing a mother to a son who is taller than me. I couldn’t do it that easily, so I waited for a little bit. I will be honest, sometimes I turned down a script because I wasn’t quite ready for it.”