Juhi Parmar on OTT debut with Yeh Meri Family 2: 'Got numerous offers earlier, ended up saying no as I couldn’t relate'

Actress Juhi Parmar recently made her OTT debut with Yeh Meri Family 2. The new season will take audiences back to the winter of 1994 in Lucknow. The Free Press Journal caught up with Juhi for an exclusive interview.

Juhi reveals why she chose the show for her OTT debut. She gushes, “It’s not just my debut but a debut with a cult show which is loved by all. The first season already made a place in everybody’s hearts and we are taking the legacy ahead. I cannot say yes to a project just because I want to be a part of a certain medium. I’ve got numerous offers but I ended up saying no as I couldn’t relate to them.”

She adds, “I didn’t want to be a part of the message that the shows were giving. But Yeh Meri Family 2 is so beautiful and wholesome that everybody will sit together and watch it and it will bring the family closer.”

Juhi plays the role of Neerja in the show. She feels there are some similarities between her and the character. "The parenting style of the 1990s was very different. But I relate to Neerja in terms of her characteristics. She is a principled woman. She is someone who believes in standing firm on her beliefs and someone who lets her kids be. She wants them to go ahead in life but at the same time not force them to do certain things. Neerja also sits on her kids’ heads and asks them to study but I’m not like that in real life. I let my daughter be. Also, I could relate to some qualities as a person like loving your family and giving all you have to the family,” Juhi explains.

Juhi reveals she felt quite nostalgic during the shoot. She recalls, “We used to talk about our childhood all the time. Every small thing would remind us of our childhood. Those audio cassettes to the television set and ink pens we used to have... there were so many things. Even the way we were dressed, everything would take us back to those days. There is a beautiful, feel-good factor about that era.”

Juhi believes the show will take millennials down on a nostalgic trip. “The 1990s kids would remember their childhood and the ones who are my parents’ generation are going to relate to Neerja and Sanjay’s (Rajesh Kumar) characters because they were young parents then. These two generations are definitely going to relate to it. Gen Z should actually feel like wanting to be a part of the 1990s. It was not about gadgets but human emotions. It wasn't about emojis but being there for each other,” she concludes.

The actress is all praise for her co-star Rajesh Kumar. She says, "He is such a good actor. His comic timing is superb. He used to come up with brilliant improvisations and one liners which would just leave us in splits and we would then incorporate that in the scenes. As a co-actor, Rajesh was very helpful and made sure the scene was at its peak in terms of performances. Apart from that, he's a flexible person to work with."

After making her OTT debut, Juhi believes she now has much more to offer to the audience. "I hope I get offers through which I'll be able to show that side of me which I've not yet shown as an actor. There's so much more to explore. With OTT, where content is the king, I hope I'll be able to satiate the actor in me. I'm not binding myself that I want to do this or that. All I know is that I want to play versatile roles. I'm looking at exploring genres and characters that I've not tried yet," she states.

Juhi has been a part of different shows and films over the years. However, she is still remembered as Kumkum. For those unversed, Juhi gained recognition for playing Kumkum in the long-running daily soap Kumkum - Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan. On a parting note, she says, "It's humbling. I played a character which became so iconic that even after so many years of being on air people still love you and remember you by that name. Kumkum has become my second name. It is kind of my synonym. I'm happy about it. In every actor's life, there has to be at least one such character. I'm glad that it happened to me."