Has Juhi's career come to an end?

Ashok Banker

Marriage has always been the bane of Hindi film heroines. It's the one thing that ends careers more ruthlessly than any number of flops or scandals. The taboo act that the public never seem to forgive a heroine.

It put a full stop for decades to Jaya Bhaduri's shining career, finally releasing her only recently from its unforgiving prison.

It shut down the filmographies of many beautiful and talented heroines as varied as Sridevi, Kimi Katkar, Poonam Dhillon, Rati Agnihotri, Mumtaz, Waheeda Rehman, Tanuja, Saira Banu, Anita Raaj, Padmini Kolhapure...the list goes on.

Most recently, it rang alarm bells in the careers of Madhuri Dixit and Kajol, taking two of the most bankable female box office stars out of the reckoning as far as moviegoers and the industry were concerned. Even thought they are still quite active and visible, their films bombed at the box office.

Down the decades, heroines have either retired gracefully from celluloid careers or they've struggled stubbornly to prove the taboo wrong -- as Madhuri and Kajol are still struggling to prove.

Those who step off the silver screen gracefully often return in another avatar later in life. As the evergreen Jaya Bachchan has done of late, and the timeless Helen too.

But the ones who continue to fight the taboo are doomed to failure.

But the most amazingly defiant case is Juhi Chawla.

A year ago, she stunned fans and the industry with her secret marriage to longtime sweetheart industrialist Jay Mehta.

Now, besides being happily married, she's preening in her new role. As a mommy dearest.

That's a One Two Ka Four shot that's hit her career so hard, the bruises show!

Her latest release One Two Ka Four is due out at almost the same time as her newborn bundle of joy. After that, fans and well wishers (and disappointed producers) are in for a long wait for the next Juhi starrer.

And as any filmwallah or informed fan knows, no movies means no magic. Out of sight is out of mind.

Is this the end of Juhi career?

Before you make a guess, take a look at what Juhi's got lined up for the near future.

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