I Am Glad I Avoided Being Typecast: Wamiqa Gabbi

 Wamiqa Gabbi’s Instagram bio defines her as a girl one would have seen somewhere, but can’t remember where. But, for anyone who has been following social media and entertainment news, it is hard to miss the 31-year-old actor who is described as the next big thing on screen.

Bollywood dreams come true

After an impressive and diverse portfolio across Punjabi (Nikka Zaildar) and Southern films (Bhale Manchi Roju, Godha), Wamiqa is living her Bollywood dream. The time travel romantic comedy Bhool Chuk Maaf, opposite Rajkummar Rao, is the first in her packed roster of projects for the year ahead. She plays a small-town girl, Titli, who is desperate to marry her boyfriend, but he gets caught in a strange time loop which prevents their wedding from taking place.

Wamiqa doesn’t make much of her soaring popularity…. “Just to know my director (Karan Varma) wanted to work with me again, and saw me as the character, which is so different from what I have ever played, and the chance to work with Rajkummar Rao, made me happy. The chance to explore colourful characters in the comedic genre was a challenge too, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.”

Giving intuition free rein

As a 13-year-old, Wamiqa made her film debut in Imtiaz Ali’s 2007 mega hit Jab We Met. Though her film outings on Hindi screens were restricted, she won critical acclaim for her portrayal of Niloufer, a courtesan in Vikramaditya Motwane’s Jubilee, followed by Vishal Bhardwaj’s spy thriller, Khufiya.

The actor confesses that there is always a fear of getting boxed and stereotyped in the industry. “I am so glad that I could break away from the trappings of being boxed, which could have been rather easy, given the kind of roles I played. I don’t plan anything. Earlier, whenever I thought or strategised, it never worked. I just follow what I like and want to do, and that works best for me. One learns moment to moment, decision by decision, the path to take, and what to avoid.”

Talent trumps PR

Wamiqa’s forthrightness is her biggest strength. Exuding grace and sensuality, she is a sought-after cover girl. Even as her social currency continues to soar one post at a time, she wants her work to do the talking. “PR games don’t work. I have realised your PR cannot do anything, if you don’t do good work. You can create or cook up stories around other things and get short-term fame. At the end of the day, PR will only work if you do good work, and make strong choices.”

A self-taught actor, Wamiqa does have one regret. “If like my character I could time travel, I would have loved to join the National School of Drama, or the Film and Television Institute of India, and learn acting. The presence of masters and seniors from films and theatre help hone and nurture skill sets,” she says.

Wamiqa’s film slate includes Priyadarshan’s Bhoot Bangla opposite Akshay Kumar and Telugu film G2 opposite Adivi Sesh.