Girl on the go…

Wamiqa Gabbi’s latest film Bhool Chuk Maaf may have opened to mixed reviews. Critics’ darling otherwise, her performance may have left many of them unimpressed. But this Chandigarh di sohni kudi has no reasons to be disappointed. Firstly, she believes, “Everyone is entitled to an opinion and there is no please-all book, film or performance ever.” Besides, whatever the naysayers may feel, not only is Bhool Chuk Maaf going steady at the box-office, but also she has been overwhelmed by the response she got in her hometown. As we catch her minutes before she flies out of Chandigarh, she shares how those watching your struggle and your success are often more emotional about your journey. Talking about Bhool Chuk Maaf, in which she plays a small-town girl, she says, “There are characters who are not woke, who don’t try to intellectualise everything. They live in cocoons and are happy in their own world; are pure and innocent at heart.” So, to all those who find her character Titli a tad infuriating, she insists, “Such girls do exist. Perhaps those living in Bandra can’t relate to her simplicity and earnestness.” Interestingly, to connect with the demands of her character, Wamiqa cites the videos of influencer Dharna Durga whose relatable posts are also about couples bickering with each other. The Jubilee star Wamiqa avers, “Each character of mine is different from the other. I have played this sorted woman in Khufiya and Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley but not every person on this planet is so clued in to the outside world.” Moreover, her understanding of her character turned out to be exactly what her writer-director Karan Sharma wanted. What made her work with a debutant director after being spoilt silly by the likes of Vishal Bhardwaj and Vikramaditya Motwane? Without batting an eyelid she shoots off, “Wasn’t I a debutant for them?” Since Bhool Chuk Maaf stars one of the Indian film industry’s most gifted actors, Rajkummar Rao, she is all praise for not just the actor in Rajkummar but also his humility and grounded-ness. She exclaims, “He is such a big star, but no airs at all, makes you comfortable, why even gives you cues himself.” As she has just wrapped up the shoot for Priyadarshan’s Bhoot Bangla, she dubs working with superstar Akshay Kumar an amazing experience. She lets us into a secret too, “Except between action and cut, we would talk only in Punjabi.” Language, however, is no bar for the lovely actress who begins shooting for Telugu film G2, an action spy thriller film, directed by Vinay Kumar Sirigineedi. What makes the South Indian film industry so unique and her answer is ‘a good story’, something which is uppermost on her mind when she signs a film. You bet the choosy actor in her says no too, to a lot of films, both Hindi and South Indian. And nothing new in Punjabi has excited her so far. So, what does it take to survive in the industry, beauty or talent, both of which she seems to possess in abundance and she replies with a monosyllable, “Patience.” Today, she is raring to go. Shoot for celebrated director duo Raj and DK’s Rakt Brahmand: The Bloody Kingdom, fantasy action series begins somewhere in August. Unlike her reel character Titli, marriage does not figure on her agenda, not as of now. Nah, her parents are not pressurising her even a bit, “My parents, especially my dad who is an artiste himself does not have the small-town mindset. He let me be free. In fact, he gave me the freedom to be myself, even without me asking for it. I am what I am because of him.” Any wonder, one time-loop she doesn’t mind getting stuck in is her childhood years spent with family at her grandfather’s house in Pathankot, savouring mangoes plucked from the trees. “Those were such wondrous stress-free years.” Not that today she feels stressed, certainly there is no pressure whether her theatrical outings will work or not. She says, “You give your best and thereafter it’s all kismet ka khel.” Right now clearly the hands of destiny are moving favourably in her direction.

Lifestyle