Mothers' Day 2023: Raghav Juyal credits his interest in cinema to his mother

Dancer-turned-actor Raghav Juyal, who made his big Bollywood debut alongside Salman Khan in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, shared some fond childhood memories with his mother that still makes him laugh out loud.

In a special conversation with OTTplay, Raghav said, "I think I got an interest in cinema from my mother and aunt. I used to watch Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta's films with my mother. On one hand, I would watch Shah Rukh Khan's film because of the dance and music. A fond memory from childhood was watching Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham with the entire family in the theatre.

Recalling what he was as a child, Raghav revealed that was one of the naughtiest children in the house and that he still wonders how his mother tolerated him.

"Main ek shaitaan bachcha tha, so I would constantly be scolded. My mother was a teacher at St Joseph School, which is a popular school in Dehradun. Being a teacher, all that she wanted was that my brother and I excel in studies. But all I wanted to do since childhood was dance. My mother would run behind me to make me study, and I would be dancing around.I really gave her a tough time. Now that I am an actor, I understand the importance of education and the habit of reading, which I do not have. I should have developed that. My mother still scolds me for not reading enough, because as a teacher, she strongly believes in the power of education," said Raghav.

Being a pahadi from Uttarakhand, Raghav said that he misses the food cooked by his mother.  

"Of course, anyone will say that their mother is the best cook, but my mom is a magician. She can cook the kadi chawal and desi kukkad like no one else. Even though I eat chicken in Mumbai, it feels like a potato when compared to what my mother cooks. My mother makes desi chicken in an earthen pot, and uses matti ka chula. There is a fragrance that comes from ghar ka khana that I cannot get here in an urban city. Only mummy can manage that," said Raghav.

Despite having troubled his mother as a child, Raghav said that he is happy that he made his mother proud by being a small-town boy who kade it big in Mumbai.  

"My mother was only interested in how good I was in studies and never watched my dance performances in school, even though she had heard many teachers and friends that I was a good dancer. My family used to think that Mumbai is a very big city and is not for a pahadi boy like me. We are really simple people. The only time mummy got emotional was when she saw me on Dance India Dance. That helped her develop confidence in me and my choice of dancing as a career. I think I have made her feel proud," added Raghav.

Asked what is the best gift that he has given his mother and the KBKJ actor replied with a laugh, "I am the best gift God has given mummy, na?" He then continued, "I bought a house in Mumbai for my mother and even though she does not live with me here all the time, it is her house. Dehradun is beautiful, so she loves living there, but she visits me in the winter because it gets very cold there."

Raghav will next be seen in the action-thriller Yudhra, alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi. Meanwhile, he has two other films in the pipeline, one of which is produced by winning film producer Guneet Monga.