Neetu Kapoor is all set to make her big-screen comeback with JugJugg Jeeyo, which releases today. Directed By Raj Mehta, the film also stars Anil Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani. The Free Press Journal caught up with the veteran actress for an exclusive chat. Excerpts:
Your comeback film JugJugg Jeeyo releases today. How is the feeling?
I hope people will love it. It is much more to the movie than the trailer. It isn’t a typical sob tale, but yes, it is an emotional film. It is more like a happy family entertainer.
What was your reaction when you first read the script?
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When I read it, I felt I had to do it. But I wasn’t ready at that time and wasn’t in a good mind space. However, my children and Karan (Johar) insisted I do the film. When Raj (Mehta) narrated the story to me, it blew my mind. He is an extremely good writer. Young girls will see themselves in Kiara’s character Naina, and women will see themselves in my character Geeta. Every husband is like Bheem, played by Anil Kapoor. There’s a lot of relatability in the script, and that’s what attracted me. There are two to three scenes in the film that are so impactful.
Go on…
I was not ready to be on the sets, but then I thought JugJugg Jeeyo would be a good healing for me. I felt as if my husband (the late Rishi Kapoor) was there around and bringing those people to me. Anil was there. He is our family friend, his wife Sunita is my friend, and Varun’s brother Rohit (Dhawan) is Ranbir’s childhood friend. When David (Dhawan) was doing movies with my husband, we used to do outdoor holidays, and all the kids used to share rooms. I have seen them growing. Kiara is a lovely girl, I enjoyed working with her.
How was it on sets with younger and older generation people together?
It was an absolute roller-coaster ride on the sets with everyone. If these kids wanted anything, they used to tell me that you say on our behalf since you are senior, and people wouldn’t say no to you. I used to fire people in a loving way. And Anil used to show that he is the youngest of all. He made the whole unit touch my feet after the first shot. He made me feel so old on the sets (laughs).
Do you believe JugJugg Jeeyo will help the Hindi film industry grow after the pandemic?
I feel family and love stories never go out of fashion. However, it is coming out amidst the phase where South films are working at the box office, but family dramas with emotions and romance never fail. I feel every family goes through the same kind of problems. The story of our film is not unbelievable.
Since you have made your comeback, what kind of work are you looking for?
I really want to do something nice, like how two to three scenes in JugJugg Jeeyo attracted me. It should be impactful. It should not be like I am doing it for the sake of doing it. I won’t mind doing a thriller, and I am open to doing OTT content as well. I am glad that my kids aren’t worried about me anymore as everyone is busy in their own lives. They are happy to see me rocking on social media.
