She doesn’t feel the number her age stands at currently, and doesn’t look that either. Juhi Chawla has a double celebration in the offing — she celebrates her 53rd birthday today, and tomorrow, she ushers in Diwali. As we begin the conversation, she makes it clear that she is “absolutely not” a birthday person.

“I don’t think there’s anything exciting. At the same time, there are a few things that I enjoy. I feel very happy when my songs are played on the radio on my birthday. I feel that’s cool, it makes you feel you’ve done something,” she gushes.

But we are sure that her family doesn’t agree to her wishes for a low-key birthday. Chawla admits, “They do ask ‘What are we doing?’, and I say ‘Please do nothing, do me a favour’. They don’t listen. I want to go to some fabulous pilgrimage together, like Kashi Vishwanath.”

Ask if the age factor ever plays on her mind, Chawla says, “I’m not feeling any different! (laughs)”

Diwali, this time around, will be a lot different, with Coronavirus playing spoilsport. We ask the actor how will she celebrate her birthday and Diwali both. She tells us, “Luckily, the lockdown happened, and we woke up to family celebrations, and being together, realising how comfortable and joyful that is.”