Juhi Parmar: I Was Offered Many OTT Shows, But There Wasn’t Anything Exciting Enough Until ‘Yeh Meri Family’ Came My Way

Juhi Parmar has been one of the most popular names in the television industry ever since the 2000s. Her show ‘Kumkum’ made her a household name. Since then, she has slowly and steadily done numerous TV shows and attained enormous fame. However, in the past couple of years, she has somewhat slowed down and become really selective about what she picks up.

One of the very selected few was her recent OTT debut with ‘Yeh Meri Family 2’. The show’s first season had been massively popular, and even the second season was equally well-received. Talking to Prateek Sur, Juhi Parmar opens up about what prompted her to take up ‘Yeh Meri Family 2’, the nostalgia of the 1990s that the show brings along, how OTT is changing the way stories are told in today’s time, the kind of scripts coming her way after the OTT boom in India, why she is decided to step away from TV and lots more. Excerpts:

You made a debut on OTT with ‘Yeh Meri Family 2’. I am sure you must have gotten other OTT offers before as well. What prompted you to take up ‘Yeh Meri Family 2’?

I definitely had multiple offers for OTT but I wanted to be very sure of what will be my first project on OTT. For me, it is very important that I can watch my shows with my family and others should also be able to do so and when I was offered ‘Yeh Meri Family’, I thought it was just the perfect project that I should make my debut with.

The first season was a massively popular one. Had you seen it back then when it was released? Or did you catch up on the first part when you started having talks to play the mother’s part in the sequel?

I had definitively heard about the first season but I had not seen it. I watched it when I was finalised for the series because I wanted to know the flavour and how the show is and also wanted to understand why it is so popular. After watching it I have realised that it is such a beautiful walk back the memory lane where you walk down the nostalgic memories of the 90s. I absolutely loved it and I was very happy that I was going to be part of the next season which is going to take the legacy ahead.

The show has the nostalgia of the 1990s. What are your personal memories of the 1990s? Is there any striking event in your life that happen in that decade which you remember even today?

For me, the 90s mean my childhood. So, the entire era of the 90s is beautiful and memorable for me and I can’t pick up one thing and tell you.

The show focuses on the simplistic life in the 1990s and the bonding between kids and their parents in a small-town set-up. Did you see glimpses of your own childhood in some scenes of the show?

I totally relate to the family and their situations. In fact, while shooting I used to get transported to my childhood and even while watching the series there were so many moments where I got nostalgic, overwhelmed and teary-eyed. So, that is the beauty of the series that everyone can relate to it, the 90s kid and 90s parents also.

The show was released on Amazon MiniTV, which is one of the popular OTT platforms in today’s times. How do you look at this OTT boom in India? Are you getting better offers or better scripts now than what you used to get before?

Yes, it’s the right time for OTT and its golden period for OTT because it is at its boom and audiences are spoilt for choices as they are getting to watch some great content and actors are also getting to play such diverse characters. So, it’s a great time for both the makers, actors and viewers.

You are a massively popular star on TV ever since you did ‘Kumkum’. But for the last 2-3 years, you’ve been away from TV. I think after ‘Hamari Wali Good News’, there wasn’t anything that you did on TV. Are you consciously trying to move away from TV and maybe into OTT or films?

It has always been a conscious decision to take a break between two shows especially since the time I became a mother because I like to balance my personal life with my work life and give time to my daughter because that’s how it should be. Apart from that, I don’t say yes to any project coming my way until and unless I really think that I want to play and want to be part of it. I was offered many shows and OTT but there was nothing enough that excites me to say yes to and finally, when ‘Yeh Meri Family’ came my way, I finally found that this is what I want to do.

What would be your biggest takeaway from a show like ‘Yeh Meri Family’?

The biggest takeaway is the fact of life that your family is your backbone. No matter what, how much ever miscommunication or misunderstanding or little ups and downs you may have, but at the end of the day it is the family that means the most and is the ground under your fear and is your backbone. So, that is the biggest takeaway. Family binds you together.

What next can we see coming from you?

I have some interesting offers and I am in talks but not at a stage where I can talk about them, but hopefully soon, I will be able to make another announcement.