Tele actor Gurdip Punjj, better known by screen name Dr Juhi, has put everything on hold for her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Meher. This festive season, she dolls up for M&B and chats about Diwali, life, shows and... yes, Meher!

Arjun and Gurdip Punjj come as close as possible to the myth of the perfect urban couple. No shams. No mush. No arguments. Just a pure, unadulterated get-down-and-do-what-needs-to-be-done kind of practicality mixed with sincere concern for each other’s time and space. Their sweet Meher is truly a blessing, true to her name. She binds them together and she is the focus of all their attention. Gurdip, an extremely hands-on mother, is tuned in to every little whine and whimper of her baby.

Help notwithstanding, she’s down on her knees whenever Meher needs her. Arjun’s skills as a father are even more impressive. From combing her hair to changing her clothes, to distracting her or just simply staring at her in awe, the young father is every new mother’s dream! And all this, without wince or pretence. That Arjun loves Meher is not debatable. That Gurdip is more of a mother to Meher than he is – most certainly is!

Adding the soft touch to festivities, Gurdip talks about her life and how motherhood changed it forever...

I got into acting by accident. I was working at an ad agency – Lowe-Lintas – and was asked to model for them. Soon, I was doing several ad films one after the other and then, my debut show Sanjeevani happened. My character, Dr Juhi, has been very popular with people. After two years of Sanjeevani, I met Arjun, who was introduced as a character on the show. He was the villain of the show but eventually got married to the heroine in real life!

Gurdip’s
red lace dress
with stole
Golmaal, Rs 3,500
Gurdip’s earrings
Sia, Rs 795
Gurdip’s Mirror ring and Pearl ring
Sia, Rs 695 and Rs 595
Gurdip’s kadas, Rs 2,995 each
Meher’s green and brocade
ghaghra choli set
Leya Co, Rs 1,400

We were seeing each other for four years, which is very long considering how relationships change these days. But we were pretty sure about each other and knew that we wanted to be together. There was no drama, no objections, nothing. We are from similar communities; I am a Sardarni and he is Punjabi. He completely won over my family and his parents were more than happy to have me as their daughter-in-law as well. For me, getting married to someone from the same field worked very well since he could understand what kind of a person I am and what working for TV meant. I was working like a mad TV actor, like any other TV actor. Sanjeevani went on for about three and a half years. While we dated, we were pursuing our individual careers as well. Soon after doing Nach Baliye together, we got married. After two years, I conceived Meher.

After my show Kasam Se, we decided to plan a baby. Because I am working on Indian television, I used to work non-stop for almost 29-30 days a month. So, everything needs to be planned. Recession hit television around that time and I thought this was the best time to have a baby. I had worked for eight years before that and I really enjoyed my pregnancy because all that work had exhausted me.

When I finally conceived... oh, we were so ecstatic! For Arjun and I, this meant taking our marriage and love forward to another level. We had decided to have a baby and when finally, the test showed positive, we went completely mad!

Gurdip’s
pink strappy tunic
Milan, Rs 2,100
Gurdip’s art diamond necklace
and earrings
Sia, Rs 995 and
Meher’s pink, green and yellow
kurta (worn as a dress)
Kids Chakra, Rs 2,500

I have two older sisters and both of them have two kids each. So, I basically knew what pregnancy would be all about. Besides, I attended a prenatal class at Clay, Mumbai, which prepares you for the baby and introduces you to exercises for weight maintenance and for a normal delivery. I was also into yoga and chanting to calm me down. Fortunately, I had an extremely normal pregnancy. I feel we sometimes make pregnancy a big deal. I was lucky to have not gone through anything apart from a long labour... I was eating to my heart’s content. My hubby was by my side. When he had to be away, my mother was there... or my sisters... there was no problem! I only had a little morning nausea for three months. And that’s that. No sickness. No fears. No phobias.