Juhi Parmar is an Indian television actress, anchor and trained classical dancer, best known for her portrayal of Kumkum Wadhwa in the long-running Star Plus soap opera Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan. She came into wider public recognition after winning the fifth season of the reality show Bigg Boss in 2012.
Key facts
| Full name | Juhi Parmar |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 December 1980 |
| Place of birth | Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actress, television anchor, classical dancer |
| Years active | Late 1990s – present |
| Known for | Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan, Bigg Boss 5 |
| Notable award | Winner, Bigg Boss Season 5 (2012) |
Background
Juhi Parmar was born in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, into a Gujarati family. She trained in Indian classical dance forms, including Kathak, from an early age, and has also pursued vocal music. She moved into television work during the late 1990s, beginning with smaller assignments before securing lead roles.
Career
Early television work
Parmar started her on-screen career as an anchor and host on children's and music programmes before transitioning to fiction television. She appeared in shows such as Kabhi Sautan Kabhi Saheli on Sony Entertainment Television, which gave her early visibility in the Hindi general entertainment space.
Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan
Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan, produced by Balaji Telefilms and aired on Star Plus, ran from 2002 to 2009. Parmar's portrayal of the title character Kumkum across the show's long run made her a household name in Hindi-language daily soap audiences and remains the role most closely associated with her.
Bigg Boss 5
In 2011–12, Parmar entered the fifth season of Bigg Boss, the Hindi adaptation of the international reality format Big Brother, broadcast on Colors TV. She was declared the winner of the season, becoming the first female contestant to win the Hindi version of the show.
Other shows
Subsequent television work has included roles in serials such as Shani on Colors TV, where she played Chhaya, and Hamariwali Good News on Zee TV, in which she played the lead role of Renuka Tiwari. She has also participated in dance-based reality shows and celebrity formats on Indian television.
Personal life
Parmar married television actor Sachin Shroff in 2009. The couple has a daughter, Samairra, born in 2013. The marriage ended in divorce in 2018. She has spoken publicly about single parenthood and balancing acting commitments with raising her daughter.
Significance
Parmar is regarded as one of the recognisable faces of Hindi general entertainment television in the 2000s and 2010s. The popularity of Kumkum contributed to the wider trend of family-oriented daily soaps that defined Indian prime-time programming during that period, while her victory in Bigg Boss 5 marked a notable point in the reality format's history in India.