It all began when goaded by friends, she filled the form
to contest the Femina Miss India title. Overnight, Juhi Chawla was slalomed into
the limelight as Miss India, 1984. At 5 feet four inches, with slight built,
fair complexion and fairytale good looks, she was the ideal candidate for a
Hindi film heroine. She signed her first film Sultanat. The film didn't exactly
set the cash registers ringing at the box-office. But Mansoor Khan spotted
talent, he promptly pencilled her in for QSQT. The film went onto create
box-office history and a star was born.


After doing eminently forgettable films like CID, Shaandaar, Goonj, Radha Ka
Sangam, Juhi Chawla hit the hotspot with Dharmesh Darshan's Lootere. A song on
the beach in just a plain white shirt was enough for her to be labelled hot.



Her second innings in Bollywood had begun. A series of hits like Bol Radha Bol,
Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman shot her into the big league
instantly. Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke got her the coveted Filmfare trophy for the
Best actress.



And her next invitation was to star in Yash Chopra's Darr. Since most stars
regard the summons from Yash Chopra as a badge of honours, as valid as an award,
Juhi Chawla had finally arrived. Today in the twilight zone of her acting
career, she's now interested in doing only those films that offer her that extra
special.