Juhi Chawla Mehta, born Juhi Chawla on 13 November 1967 in Ambala, Haryana, is an Indian actress who was among the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. She is known for her comic timing and lively screen persona and has won two Filmfare Awards. As of 2025, Wikipedia describes her as the wealthiest Indian actress, with a reported net worth of Rs 7,790 crore, or about $810 million.
Her father was an officer of the Indian Revenue Service. She completed her schooling at Fort Convent School in Bombay, now Mumbai, and graduated from Sydenham College. In 1984 she won the Miss India title and the Best Costume Award at the Miss Universe contest.
After a brief appearance in the Hindi film Sultanat (1986), she starred in the Kannada-Tamil bilingual Premaloka (1987), directed and produced by V. Ravichandran. The Kannada version was a major commercial success and a break-through for its cast and crew. Her first major Hindi role was in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) opposite Aamir Khan, a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which was a critical and commercial success, won the Filmfare Award for Best Film and made Khan and Chawla “overnight stars”. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and received her first Best Actress nomination. The film has since gained cult status, and The Times of India ranked it among its “Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films”.
In 1989 the team of Premaloka reunited for the Kannada film Kindari Jogi, and she made her Telugu debut in Vicky Daada opposite Nagarjuna. In 1990 she starred in Pratibandh, which earned her a second Best Actress nomination, and the family drama Swarg alongside Rajesh Khanna and Govinda, the first of several collaborations with the director David Dhawan. In 1992 she appeared in Bol Radha Bol with Rishi Kapoor, receiving her third Best Actress nomination, and in the Tamil film Nattukku Oru Nallavan (Shanti Kranti in Hindi) she acted opposite Rajinikanth.
The year 1993 was key. She appeared in four films: Lootere, her first glamorous role, opposite Sunny Deol; Aaina, produced by Yash Chopra, in which she and Amrita Singh play sisters; Darr; and Mahesh Bhatt’s Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke opposite Aamir Khan, which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. In it she played a Tamilian runaway and mastered the Tamil language and dialect, and her performance established her as a comic actress. Further success followed in 1997 with Deewana Mastana, Yes Boss, Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi and Ishq.
In the 2000s she began playing against type in art-house projects and drew critical praise for Jhankaar Beats (2003), 3 Deewarein (2003), My Brother Nikhil (2005), I Am (2011) and Gulaab Gang (2014). She also starred in several Punjabi films, including the biopics Shaheed Udham Singh (2000), Des Hoyaa Pardes (2004) and Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris (2006), and was a judge on the third season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (2009). Her streaming work includes Hush Hush (2022) and The Railway Men (2023).
She has been married to the industrialist Jay Mehta since 1995 and has two children. With her husband and Shah Rukh Khan she co-owns the Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders, and with Khan she co-founded the production company Dreamz Unlimited, which made three films, beginning with their own Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000).
Featured image: Juhi Chawla arriving at Kala Academy during the International Film Festival of India in Goa, November 2005 (file photo). Photo by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
