Exclusive: Wamiqa Gabbi Opens Up on Her Struggles, Setbacks and Why She Wouldn’t Change a Thing

Wamiqa Gabbi’s Instagram bio says, “I’m that Girl you’ve seen somewhere but can’t remember where.” As I sit across from her for a conversation, I tell her that people can now remember where they have seen her. She says she will consider changing the bio. Gabbi made her debut with Jab We Met in 2007, where she had a brief screen time as Kareena Kapoor’s cousin. The Punjabi film Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22 (2013) shot her to fame in Punjab. The actress also ventured into Tamil cinema. Vikramaditya Motwane’s Jubilee and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Khufiya were a turning point in her career. Gabbi’s most recent theatrical release, Bhool Chuk Maaf, co-starring Rajkummar Rao earned her a lot of praise. She is happy with the response. In this freewheeling chat, she speaks about the film, looks back at the time when she felt like giving up, and reflects upon how far she has come. Excerpts:

How has the response been for Bhool Chuk Maaf?

I’m feeling happy, surprised and overwhelmed. I don’t know how to explain this. No one expected this. We’re so happy with the love that we’re receiving from the audience. I’m so glad my parents and my whole family enjoyed it so much. I went to Chandigarh to watch it with them. My father was so happy to see it. He was laughing and
I am happy that he’s getting my humour. He also cried when I had an emotional scene.

Your character Titli is a daddy’s princess. How pampered are you by your father?

I was the most pampered child. I wasn’t just his princess but the entire family’s.

There was a time when you wanted to give up on acting…

I’m glad that I went through that time when I felt that I was done. I felt that I was not meant for this. Maybe God wanted me to be grounded when he gave me what I’ve always wanted. And yes, I am grounded. There’s nothing that can blow me away. I understand how temporary all these things are. I remember when I used to wish that I were born in a filmy family and things were easier for me. I wished I were rich so that I could do so much in Mumbai with that money. Now, when I look back, I thank God for my journey, for the family I was born into and all the hardships
I went through. I would not want to change anything in my life. Even now, when my dreams are coming true, I’m pretty much relaxed. I understand that my friendships, my relationships and my family are what are going
to matter.

Cut to now, your fans are giving you so much love and even compare you with actors such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for your eyes…

I have grown up watching and loving Aishwarya. There’s no comparison. But I understand the innocence and the love that my fans are showering on me. I’m thankful but this is unbelievable. It’s overwhelming to receive this kind of love. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and I’m happy that they look at me with so much love.

Were you ever in a situation where you auditioned for something, but that opportunity was given to someone with

more privilege?

This is nothing new. It’s been happening for so long. And I’m sure, like me, other people would have also faced the same thing, where they felt that they’d given a good audition but it didn’t work out. It’s also the lack of faith. People are hesitant to invest in young actors and new talent. They want to go a safer route with someone else who just has more popularity. Having said that, there are other people who do put faith in new talent. People like Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra or Maddock Films, for that matter, have pushed new actors and talent.

Do you ever worry that no matter how hard you work, things might still be unfair?

I used to think about all these things a lot because you always want a fair world. But I understood that this is how it is. Some people get opportunities without even having worked hard for them. And some people have to work extremely hard to get those same opportunities. I understand that I have to work hard, and I can get that. I used to crib about it, but then I started working towards it.
Wamiqa Gabbi

Which character has creatively challenged you the most?

The most challenging was Bhool Chuk Maaf because I tried comedy for the first time. I was nervous. But if I do another comedy film, it’ll again be different from that and will still be challenging for me. In my previous works, Khufiya was challenging. I played a mother, and I was young. I didn’t know what a mother feels for their child and how I should portray the role. I was talking to my mother, my aunt and my grandmother, trying to figure out how they would feel. I remember Vishal (Bhardwaj) sir gave me the idea of thinking about my son like how I would think about my father. He knew that my father was the one that I loved the most and would never want anything to happen to him. And this advice changed everything. So that loss of my child in the film, I kind of related it to the loss of my parent. That was very challenging to pull off.

You worked with Jaya Bachchan as well. Is she as strict as the paparazzi portray her to be?

Jaya ji is such a nice woman and an amazing actor. She is naughty, and her laughter is like a child’s. I had the best time shooting with her in Dil Ka Darwaaza Khol Na Darling. She has seen a lot of life. If my mother or my grandmother were there with so many cameras around them, they would also be as irritated as her. They didn’t have this paparazzi culture earlier. We are used to it, and it is normal for us now. I don’t know, when we grow old, there might be something else that we won’t like
as well.

Who is your 4 a.m. friend in the industry?

There is a writer called Rupinder Inderjit. He was the first person I stayed with when I moved to Mumbai. I’m always grateful to him.

What advice would you like to give to a young Wamiqa?

I wish she had joined or insisted on joining some acting school. It would have been helpful. When you learn your craft, it just makes things easier. But I am still okay with whatever I have learnt through this job.

Also Read: Pics: Bhool Chuk Maaf Co-Stars Rajkummar Rao And Wamiqa Gabbi Get Clicked At A Shoot