Juhi Chawla to play India's first woman defence minister on screen

Juhi Chawla from the web series The Test Case and Nirmala Sitharaman

Juhi Chawla from the web series The Test Case and Nirmala Sitharaman

Often restricted to playing girl-next-door roles for the better part of her career, Juhi Chawla is set to display her acting prowess in Ekta Kapoor's The Test Case.

The actor will be seen playing the defence minister in the gritty web series based on the Indian Army. What makes her turn as the minister all the more interesting is the recent appointment of Nirmala Sitharaman as the first full-time defence minister. Sitharaman is the second woman to serve as the defence minister after Indira Gandhi.

When mid-day reached out to Chawla for her reaction, she said, "I can't believe it has really happened. It's a matter of pride for all of us."

The web series also stars Nimrat Kaur as an Army officer. While Kaur expressed her excitement to play the "unconventional role" in several interviews, Chawla revealed that she was in two minds about her role. "When Nagesh [Kukunoor, former director of the show] approached me, I was excited as I haven't attempted such a character earlier. But, I was apprehensive too."

Chawla also revealed how she worried if a woman defence minister would be perceived as "a far-fetched idea" by the audience. "I asked Elahe Hiptoola [co-producer] if the audience would take the idea of a woman defence minister on the show seriously. She told me it is futuristic. When I was shooting for it six months back, I thought something like this wouldn't happen in our country. But, I'm so glad it did."