Born on July 20, 1979, Juuhi Babbar is the daughter of actor Raj Babbar and theatre personality Nadira Babbar. She made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with Sonu Nigam in Kaash Aap Hamare Hote. (All photos/mid-day archives and Instagram account)
Juuhi's father Raj Babbar had a second marriage with Smita Patil. Nadira and Raj's two children are Arya Babbar and Juuhi, while Smita gave birth to Prateik Babbar.
In picture: Juuhi with parents Raj and Nadira Babbar and siblings - Arya and Prateik.
Though her debut was a Box Office dud, Juuhi later worked with Jimmy Shergill in Punjabi film 'Yara Nal Bahran', and the film performed well in Punjab circuit.
Like her mom, Juuhi too is a theatre fanatic with 'go with the flow' attitude. Juuhi has done a lot of theatre and was part of many notable plays.
Very few know that before marrying actor Annup Sonii, Juhi was first married to filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar, a screenplay writer, best known for films like Shaitan and Wazir. She married Nambiar in 2007, but after a two-year courtship, they divorced in January 2009.
Talking about the same phase, and comeback in Bollywood, Juuhi told mid-day, 'For years and years, I did not take up cinema because I was not getting the kind of work that I wanted to do. So, a lot of things were happening and my past life was taking weird turns and then finally Annup Sonii (husband) happened to me, which is probably the most amazing thing to happen.'
Talking about her son Imman, Juuhi had said, a few year ago, when her son turned 5, 'Even more amazing than Annup is the arrival of Imaan in my life. So, the role that became more pre-dominant was motherhood. I've just been with Imman, I've hardly been performing theatres, priority wise there has been a change. So, I had thought that when Imaan is around 5, I will once again consider films.'
She made a comeback in Bollywood after 15 years and played a small yet impactful role as Manoj Bajpayee's wife in Aiyaary (2018). Juuhi Babbar said that it was her husband who actually convinced or rather pushed her to sign Aiyaary (2018). 'Yes! he is the reason that I have done 'Aiyaary'. I got a call from Neeraj Pandey and he asked me to meet him. I asked Annup, 'Should I go, I'm not too sure about the length of the role.' So, he said that you should go and meet Neeraj sir and even if he asks you to do one scene, just say 'yes'. You don't come without saying a yes to this house. He said, 'You're getting a Neeraj Pandey film just by sitting at home, are you crazy to reject it?''
Juuhi is very close to her half-brother Prateik. She said, 'I am blessed because I have a mother like Nadira Babbar, who has always taught me to look at Aarya (brother) and Prateik (half-brother) with the same eye.'
When Prateik Babbar got engaged, Juuhi, as his 'didi' said, 'It seems funny that he is getting married because I still see him as a baby. I want to see what kind of a husband does he become.'
Having grown up among theatre artists, who come from every milieu, Juuhi says she has learnt to be accepting. 'Somebody coming from a small hamlet in UP is equal to somebody who comes for rehearsal in a BMW,' said the actress.
In the Sonii household, there's a thumb rule. Every morning, it's Annup's job to drop Imman to school, while the pickup is Juuhi's responsibility. But, if there's a need to adjust timings, they happily swap.
Juuhi Babbar said, 'I see a lot of industry dads proclaiming that they don't even know which standard their child is studying in. It's shameful!'
'When we got married, I was the one who had less work, but that didn't diminish the respect we had for each other,' says Juuhi, who opted to take a backseat to take care of their son, Imman. 'There's enough competition all around you, so why start it between husband and wife?'
Well, to each is own! But looking at Juuhi Babbar's journey so far and the way the lady is leading her life, we truly appreciate this star kid's simple and humble life
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