I miss the original garba steps a lot: Janki Bodiwala

For Janki Bodiwala, this year’s Navratri began on a great note, as she received the National Award for Vash (Best Actress in a Supporting Role). She shares, “It was a beautiful feeling and a blessed beginning to the festival.” The actress, who joined us for a fun Navratri shoot, talks about her fondest childhood memories of Navratri, how she celebrates now, and more. Excerpts:

‘We went for drives after playing garba till late’
My cousins and I grew up together. My elder cousin made me her experimental doll and got me ready for Navratri the way she wanted. She would apply pink blush on cheeks, draw little designs near my eyes and neck, and put a dupatta on my head. After I grew up a bit, I would play garba with my cousins and their friends. We played garba till 2-3am and went for drives on our two-wheelers after that. I was the youngest, so I was taken good care of (laughs). I miss those days now. I prefer comfy chaniya cholis, which are traditional but lightweight, and allow me to play garba in a carefree manner. I also like flared chaniyas, but the only issue is that woh aage aur peeche walon ko bother karta hai.




‘Today, everyone does the same step on all garba songs’

I rarely get a chance to play garba now, as I am either travelling or working. I miss the kind of garba we used to do. For each song, we used to have a different dance step, with the pace changing as per the garba song. Today, people are doing the same step on all the garba songs for so many hours! It feels weird. When I go to garba events with our industry friends, I am glad we get a separate space, where we get to do our own garba steps. From dodhiyu to high-energy bey taali, I miss the original garba steps a lot.

‘Love how youngsters enjoy playing traditional garba’

It has been years since I got to play garba properly, but I see the changes in the celebrations now. While I feel the events have this vibe of showing off, youngsters are opting for traditional outfits and are celebrating the festival like old times. I have observed that while there is a crowd that comes to enjoy the event, most of them come to actually play garba, and it is good to see that they enjoy traditional garba. Falguni Pathak’s songs are my go-to ones. Her song Pari Hoon Main makes you feel like an actual pari (angel). I also enjoy grooving to Jigardan Gadhavi’s energetic garba songs. I don’t hold myself back from post-garba binge. I love to go out and eat or have coffee after playing garba for hours. It’s great to see so many options now, as many cafes and restaurants are open till late.