Power Trendsetter: Juhi Chaturvedi

Give her some ink and she will pen an offbeat yet incredible tale that will make waves. Piku wasn’t the first time Juhi Chaturvedi’s writing has won her awards, but the movie — in its acting and writing — explored a usually unuttered subject while looking into a bond that is as pure as any can be. Her subjects and her words make her films eagerly awaited.

Biggest learning: “To write a decent script, you need to feel it, become every character in it, and get consumed by it. This causes a lot of mental and emotional havoc; and to go through it knowingly is a big challenge. I am still learning how to bounce back quickly.”

Greatest satisfaction: “I am proud that I am my parents’ daughter and that the blessing of being their daughter was reserved for me. I am also proud to have a daughter. I consider myself as privileged to have had the chance to write for Mr Amitabh Bachchan and to have worked with Shoojit (Sircar), and in knowing that what I have written has touched the hearts of so many.”

Inspiration behind Piku: “The changing fabric of the relationship that ageing parents share with their children — given the complexities of the times we are living in — has always intrigued me. And irrespective of the times, this is the only relationship that exists in its purest, most unconditional form. Piku was an outcome of that.”

True power: “It is a huge sense of responsibility that can influence and infuse a change. It is something that cannot be trivialised.”

On the National Film Awards: “It’s a very humbling honour. It encourages me to bring forth more life observations in the form of stories and scripts. Through my writing, I wish to be a part of people’s lives and want them to be a part of mine.”

Read about our next power woman, Saina Nehwal.