Kumkum is still Jaipur’s Juhi ..article

Juhi Parmar (TOI photo) More pics

Juhi Parmar is a happy girl these days. She is "not acting anymore" but just being herself on the sets of Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan, courtesy her reincarnated version – the new chirpy and jolly Kumkum.

"The new Kumkum is very much like me. She loves to have fun and lives life on her own terms. I could never relate to the old Kumkum or Shaheen. I am so unlike them. I can never be docile and submissive. I have a mind of my own and just can't see anything wrong happening before my eyes," says this headstrong Jaipur lass.

And that she has a mind of her own was evident from the time she was a teenager. "When I was 13, I told my dad that I want to act all my life. Initially he thought that like most teenagers, I have somehow got carried away by the glamour bug and would get over it. But soon he understood how serious I was about acting and stood by me all through," recalls Juhi.

Today, even as she remains busy carving out a niche for herself in the glamour world, the actress still loves the city and longs to be back in the town she grew up sometime soon. And how much Jaipur loves Juhi is evident by the fact that there is no dearth of parlours in the city that flaunt the name Kumkum. Most owners confess that they have named their parlours after their favourite screen bahu.

A trip down the memory lane takes Juhi back to Kiran Caf, making her long for her favourite hangout in Jaipur that sadly closed down a few years back. "I still remember the taste of dosa at Kiran Cafe. We used to do a lot of mauj-masti there sitting for long hours. I got to know from my dad that the caf has closed down. Another favourite place to chill was Milky Way restaurant," says Juhi. And besides the hanging out, it's shopping that's her favourite pastime in Jaipur. "The city has the best collection of sarees," she quips.

For those who want to try their luck in the world of acting, Juhi has a word of caution. "It's a very tough world out there. Don't take the plunge if you are not ready to give up your personal life. You have to sacrifice a lot, you often stay away from your family for months together. You can't succeed unless you become completely devoted to your work," she says. Lady, how much we appreciate the devotion that made Rajasthan proud. Hats off to your

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