Tall feat for a 3 footer

Fiction on Indian television takes an unconventional reality twist with the show Baba Aiso Varr Dhoondo . On the soap, 19- year- old Juhi Aslam plays the lead role of Bharati Chauhan, a character based on her own life. The catch being, Juhi is barely 3.5 foot tall — or a dwarf as most people refer to her.

Agra- based Juhi, the daughter of a shoe store owner, says she was surprised to get the offer from the producers because she had never faced the camera before.

“ It’s like living my life all over again in front of a camera. I have gone through almost every experience that Bharati faces in the story, so I am glad I did the show,” she says.

Juhi, as the heroine of a regular soap, is a departure from the norm for Indian soap viewers, who are more accustomed to watching gaudily- dressed plastic beauties as heroines.

Juhi as Bharati could be the next level for TV heroines, after Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi , which was the first Indian soap to present a heroine beyond the stereotype.

The show, which airs from Monday, is the brainchild of writer- director Rakesh Paswan.

In fact, it was Paswan’s idea to mould Juhi’s real- life story into celluloid fiction, although they are keeping the story under wraps.

“ When I was approached for the role, it came as a shock. Till now I was never taken seriously in life and the last thing I ever imagined was facing the camera and not being ridiculed in public,” says Juhi, who is learning the nuances of emoting in front of the camera.

Being small- statured runs in Juhi’s family, her father and a brother are about 4 feet tall.

“ I have been ridiculed ever since I started going to school. I am used to it now. Those bitter experiences have helped me interpret Bharati,” adds Juhi, who landed in Mumbai just a month ago to work on the show.

Juhi was preparing for her B. Sc final year exams when she received the offer, but as of now, she has no intention of going back to Agra.

“ I am enjoying giving shots.

Besides, the approach of people in Mumbai towards me is different from that back home in Agra, so, I wouldn’t mind staying back here,” she adds.