Sangeeta Yadav speaks with a few yesteryear actors who tell her about their plans for Mother’s Day
JUHI CHAWlA
The bubbly actress lost her mother Mona Chawla to a horrible road accident on Mother’s Day in 1998. So, she doesn't really celebrate the Day. “I was shooting for Duplicate when this incident happened. My mother was my lifeline and the way I lost her was very tragic. But mummy always taught us to be brave and face every situation with a smile. I did it too,” the Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, actress says.
Juhi doesn’t forget to wish her mother-in-law on this day though. “I am very close to her. If she is around we go out for a meal together and spend the day chit chatting. But if she is in Uganda, where she goes every now and then, then I make it a point to call and wish her,” she says. Juhi is busy reading a couple of film and television scripts but the seasoned actress points out that she won’t take up a role for just the heck of it. “I don't believe in impromptu action. The script needs to agree with me,” she says.
What is Juhi’s biggest learning from her motherIJ “I realised how extremely special a mother is, her touch, her love, her words of caution, her care…they are irreplaceable. No money or no person can come close. So no matter how many times she asks you something, scolds you or embarrasses you, remember she is a gift from heaven! And there is no place on earth you will ever travel to where prayers for you haven’t reached already,” she says.
Jaya Prada
Jaya Prada’s mother Neelaveni Rao was a very talented singer although she never stepped onto the stage to perform. Her focus was always Jaya Prada. “My mother was dedicated to art and culture. She would get up in the wee hours to do her riyaz. She is the one who inspired me to take up the creative profession. Whatever I am today is all due to her,” Jaya who is extremely close to her mother says.
The only time that Jaya Prada got a scolding from her mother was when she nagged to travel to the neighbouring village to participate in a singing competition and then got almost run over by a speeding train. “My brother managed to cross but my leg got trapped in the track. I was very scared. Nearby villagers rushed to my rescue and took me out from there. Although I was very shaken, I went ahead and participated in the competition and won the first prize. When I got home, my mother was very upset with me. But later, she told me that she was proud of my act,” Jaya says. At present, Jaya Prada is scouting for a good site wherein she can build a shelter home for the elderly. “It is my mother’s wish and I will do anything to get it fulfilled,” she says.