Candid chat with Mahie Gill of Dev D fame
It seems that you have suitably impressed the producers of Dev. D to have bagged a three-film deal with them...
• It’s not a deal. I’m the production house’s baby right now. Fact is, they have approached me for their next two projects, which are Aage Se Right and Paan Singh Tomar. The first one, which is a comedy, is opposite Shreyas Talpade while I do the next with Irrfan. And then, there’s Anurag Kashyap’s Gulal where I have a cameo. Brought out by another production house, this film will see me doing two mujra numbers sung by Rekha Bhardwaj.
Paro’s promiscuous nature was hinted at in the film while highlighting her
loyalty of affection towards Dev. Is that true love?
• Remember that it was Sunil’s version of Paro. She was still a virgin and very much in love with Devdas. It’s just that Dev fell for his words. And in contemporary times, I know a lot of people who indulge in harmless flirting in spite of having someone close to their heart.
Considering that Kashyap’s Black Friday and No Smoking have tanked at the BO, were you apprehensive about Dev. D’s response?
• It’s been almost three-and-a-half years since I’ve shifted to Mumbai. My acquaintance with Anurag goes back nearly twoand-a-half years. He had approached me for No Smoking but the producers were wary about casting someone new. It so happened that I was looking for work for nearly one-and-half years. So, when Anurag offered me Paro’s role, I had no choice but to take it up. I was confident about the director’s abilities to not care about people’s reactions. In fact, under the trying circumstances, I would have even agreed to play Devdas (laughs).
Considering that it takes a lot for an outsider to win Bollywood acceptance, are you lucky, destined to be famous or simply a great actor?
• I’ve been lucky, of course. But the face of cinema has changed and newcomers are being ushered into Bollywood. I believe in destiny, though. In fact, I was so taken in by people saying that they were lucky to be chanced upon by a director or producer, that I started attending parties expecting a similar fate. And Anurag had actually spotted me at Dibyendu Bhattacharya’s (Chunni) son Shaurya’s birthday party. I’m lucky to have bagged Paro’s role without an audition.
With your Bollywood foray are you looking at critical acclaim or BO success?
• A bit of both, if I may say. With Dev. D, I was aware that the critics would like the film but the BO success has come as a pleasant surprise. I would like to try parallel and mainstream.
But with your major deglam avatar in Dev. D, would you end up being typecast?
• I hope that people take me seriously post this venture and I have a semi glam role in Aage...
With a Masters in theatre, do you intend to return to stage?
• I might do a play after two-three years.
Finally, where lies your USP?
I think, my eyes. I’d say I’m attractive.
• It’s not a deal. I’m the production house’s baby right now. Fact is, they have approached me for their next two projects, which are Aage Se Right and Paan Singh Tomar. The first one, which is a comedy, is opposite Shreyas Talpade while I do the next with Irrfan. And then, there’s Anurag Kashyap’s Gulal where I have a cameo. Brought out by another production house, this film will see me doing two mujra numbers sung by Rekha Bhardwaj.
Paro’s promiscuous nature was hinted at in the film while highlighting her
loyalty of affection towards Dev. Is that true love?
• Remember that it was Sunil’s version of Paro. She was still a virgin and very much in love with Devdas. It’s just that Dev fell for his words. And in contemporary times, I know a lot of people who indulge in harmless flirting in spite of having someone close to their heart.
Considering that Kashyap’s Black Friday and No Smoking have tanked at the BO, were you apprehensive about Dev. D’s response?
• It’s been almost three-and-a-half years since I’ve shifted to Mumbai. My acquaintance with Anurag goes back nearly twoand-a-half years. He had approached me for No Smoking but the producers were wary about casting someone new. It so happened that I was looking for work for nearly one-and-half years. So, when Anurag offered me Paro’s role, I had no choice but to take it up. I was confident about the director’s abilities to not care about people’s reactions. In fact, under the trying circumstances, I would have even agreed to play Devdas (laughs).
Considering that it takes a lot for an outsider to win Bollywood acceptance, are you lucky, destined to be famous or simply a great actor?
• I’ve been lucky, of course. But the face of cinema has changed and newcomers are being ushered into Bollywood. I believe in destiny, though. In fact, I was so taken in by people saying that they were lucky to be chanced upon by a director or producer, that I started attending parties expecting a similar fate. And Anurag had actually spotted me at Dibyendu Bhattacharya’s (Chunni) son Shaurya’s birthday party. I’m lucky to have bagged Paro’s role without an audition.
With your Bollywood foray are you looking at critical acclaim or BO success?
• A bit of both, if I may say. With Dev. D, I was aware that the critics would like the film but the BO success has come as a pleasant surprise. I would like to try parallel and mainstream.
But with your major deglam avatar in Dev. D, would you end up being typecast?
• I hope that people take me seriously post this venture and I have a semi glam role in Aage...
With a Masters in theatre, do you intend to return to stage?
• I might do a play after two-three years.
Finally, where lies your USP?
I think, my eyes. I’d say I’m attractive.
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