Juhi Babbar Sonii: I have invited 100 women achievers for the 100th show of her play ‘With Love, Aap ki Saiyaara’

Actor Juhi Babbar Sonii is going to perform at the 100th show of her play With Love, Aap ki Saiyaara tomorrow in Bandra, Mumbai, after travelling in over 35 cities plus five shows Internationally in 30 months, becoming the first Hindi play to ever accomplish the same and she couldn’t be “happier”. “Its a fantastic feeling. The kind of love and appreciation that we have received from people is beyond imagination. We have broken records and I am excited to perform the 100th show now,” she says and adds that she has planned a “special” show for the achievement. “I have invited 100 women achievers and its really nice. I have actors, directors, musicians, dancers, chefs, politicians, bankers and even pilots, it will be amazing when they see the play. And, we will try to have a small celebration with the team after the play to mark the occasion.”

The actor, who was last seen in the film Farrey (2023), feels that theatre is very much “underrated”. “People like us who can reach out to the audience and we have that capacity and bandwith, we should talk about our work. Its high time people know that theatre can also have this kind of impact,” elaborates the 44-year-old.

The play is about the diverse identities of contemporary Indian women. “Its a must watch for both men and women. It is about women empowerment and focuses on a lot of issues faced by women in the society, including sexual harassment and the societal norms that they have to succumb to. Its not the men who are evil, its the society. Why do ablaanaari and naari par atyaachaar waale TV shows only do well? I am asking all the tough questions through my play. All of this has done with a light hand an entertainment,” says Soni.

“Every show has given me another show. People came up to me in shows and said, ‘How can we organise a show for you?’ That is the real success that I feel after these 30 months. In fact, we had the show online through Mumbai theatre guide during the pandemic first which was never the plan but it happened due to Covid. It came to stage later on, but I am so glad the it performed well both online and offline,” adds the actor, revealing that the play came live on stage after its online journey.

Based on a character conceived by Nadira Zaheer Babbar, the play is written, directed, and performed by Juuhi herself. “The hero of my play is my writing. My director’s hat was made very easy because of my writing. I knew what points I wanted to hit across, I even had the clarity of writing in my mind. So, the simplest job was of the actor’s. The director and writer in me had already marked the path for me,” Soni ends.