Juhi Babbar Soni, daughter of Nadira and Raj Babbar, is an established name in the world of theatre, but she now wants to focus on other mediums as well. The actress, who was recently seen in Hansal Mehta’s Faraaz, talks about what lies ahead.

My first film Kaash Aap Humaare Hote was a sweet and simple film. I personally feel I was not so bad in it, but unfortunately, the film didn’t do well. I did get work after that, but nothing that really excited me.

In fact, I feel happy and proud when I look back that even at a younger age, I didn’t succumb to the idea of fame, money or glamour and completely shifted my focus to theatre. There had been a lot of television offers, but that would require me to shoot for almost 25 days at a stretch. Since I had got married and then my son was born, I did not want to be away from him.

In 2018, I did the film, Aiyaary, but unfortunately, the fact that I was back somehow went unnoticed. In 2019, I signed a big film and even shot for it, but then the film got shelved. But the good part was that I got on to social media and started posting pictures and videos and I started getting noticed. That’s how the casting director noticed me and Hansal sir offered me Faraaz. Recently, I shot for Alvira and Atul Agnihotri’s film and a web series, too.

There have been instances where I have expressed my wish to work with certain filmmakers, but I am still not the person who would call someone and say that I was on a sabbatical, and now I am keen to work again. I never really did that. Being my parents’ daughter has always worked in my favour because my father, Raj Babbar, has a good reputation in the industry and is known for being versatile and self-made and my mother is known for her dedication towards her art.

When I did not get good work in cinema, theatre is all I had. In recent times, I have been shooting for movies and web shows, but all along, my play With Love, Aap Ki Saiyaara has also had shows across India. I am already working on another play, so theatre will never take a backseat.

Talking about her husband Anup Soni and son Imaan, Juhi says, “I have worked on two plays with Anup – Begum Jaan and Pencil Se Brush Tak. We would love to work together again. But right now, as parents, we try and balance it out with at least one parent trying to be at home with our 10-year-old son. Imaan is aware that his mother is now returning to work slowly. In fact, it is because of him that I am working again… he expressed a wish to see me on screen. I guess his wish was so heartfelt that the universe worked around it.”