Winning Hear ts! Shehnaaz Gill

FEARLESS, SANS FILTERS AND BRUTALLY HONEST WITH AN OVERLOAD OF ALL THINGS CUTE AND TOPPED WITH OODLES OF SASS – THAT’S SHEHNAAZ GILL IN A CANDID CHAT WITH AAKANKSHA NAVAL-SHETYE – TALKING ABOUT HER BIG BOLLYWOOD DEBUT AND ALL THINGS HEART!

The first time I met Shehnaaz Gill, I was a bit taken aback with her simplicity. Having starred in over 100 music videos, several Punjabi films and ultimately becoming the nation’s sweetheart with Bigg Boss, I expected her to be starry, et al. Instead, she literally reminds you of the simplest joys of life… think rainbow, sunflowers… a bright spark that had me smiling! Yes, she can be a diva when she wants (Bollywood doesn’t spare anyone like that), but make no mistakes there, this desi kudi is all heart even under that starry exterior. And as we settle for our exclusive interview, it’s easy to see why she’s the perfect choice to be on our cover of the month that celebrates Love. There’s a wisdom that belies in her banter about being an emotional person, a strength that you can see she’s culminated from her journey, and an understanding of an emotion that’s pure and unadulterated like her! But most of all, it’s about watching her make her big Bollywood debut in Salman Khan’s Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. Interestingly, Shehnaaz tells me that more than the excitement of making a debut, there’s a focused desire of wanting to do more work, showcase all her ranges as an actor and even explore playback singing! Excerpts

THE TEASER OF YOUR BOLLYWOOD DEBUT KISI KA BHAI KISI KI JAAN IS OUT. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU?

I want to work so much and this is just the beginning. I feel that if I get excited now, I won’t be able to focus on my work. So, excitement is there, but it’s more to do with doing more and more work.

YOU ARE ALREADY A WELL-KNOWN NAME, SO DO YOU FEEL THAT KIND OF PRESSURE ON YOU,

BECAUSE YOU HAVE A HUGE FAN FOLLOWING WHO WANT TO SEE HOW IT GOES?

I think I’m being offered movies now because I have a big fan base. As an artiste I just feel that I have to work very hard and I’m doing it too. There’s a lot I want to do. I feel that today makers are taking me because I come with a huge fan base, but I want to prove and show them that I am not just about my fan base, but I’m talented too. I want to be recognised as a ‘good artiste’, a good actor, a good performer… I want people to appreciate me as an artiste. I know there’s time for that but I’m working towards it.

BUT YOU HAVE DONE SO MANY MUSIC VIDEOS TOO AND YOUR FANS CAN SEE THAT SINCERITY AND THE HARD WORK IN THEM! See, hard work is a must for everything. Music videos or any other project, but when it comes to movies, there is another level of perseverance. It is not a cakewalk. All these big stars prepare themselves so much before doing a movie – there are workshops and everything. So, there is a lot of hard work and effort that goes in. I also want to do those kinds of workshops, I want to understand the characters, get under their skin, understand the vision of the film, the totality, and totally be the character before I face the cameras. I know my fans are excited, but I want that my performance should be appreciated by them. I want to put out work that would make them say, ‘Wow! Is this Shehnaaz? We’ve never seen Shehnaaz like this. Oh, she can do this too.’ So I want to win their appreciation for my art and performance.

WHAT IS SHEHNAAZ GILL REALLY LIKE?

Honestly, I don’t know that myself yet. Because I feel I still have a lot to explore about myself. And I am getting to know myself every day. I feel that I have a lot of talent, and I want to polish that aspect and shine through my work. I want my work to talk. I know there’s so much I can do, and I am just waiting to bring it all to the table. And every day, I want to know more about myself and learn through my art. I would only get to know who Shehnaaz Gill is when I give good performances, when I see myself in the movies and can say ‘oh, I can do this too’. So I’ll get to know myself through the work I can put out in cinema. You know push the boundaries and surprise myself too. I know I have it in me, I just want to find it and showcase it!

WITH YOU ENTERING BOLLYWOOD, I’M SURE THERE’S NO DEARTH OF ADVICE THAT YOU ARE GETTING. SO, WHAT IS THE ADVICE THAT YOU FOLLOW AND WHAT’S THE ADVICE THAT YOU DON’T?

That is true. People give a lot of advise, but I follow the ones that I think will help me and ignore the rest. So, I listen to everyone for sure, but I only do what I please.

DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE AN ACTOR? HOW DID YOUR JOURNEY BEGIN?

I always wanted to face the camera. So even as a child when there was no one at home, I used to close my room, switch on music and I used to stand in front of the mirror and deliver dialogues, sing, dance! So I’ve always loved myself and would always think when would I get to face the camera, show my talent to the people, like you know show them what I can do. So, I always had this urge to sing, act and just wanted to do everything. But I never knew what exactly to do. So that I only got to know slowly and gradually as we moved forward and actually started doing things. So now I know that I want to act and also do playback singing.

YOU’VE DONE PUNJABI FILMS, MUSIC VIDEOS, TELEVISION. WOULD THEY TAKE A BACKSEAT AFTER YOUR BOLLYWOOD DEBUT?

I just want to keep doing what I love. So, it doesn’t have to be only in Bollywood. I want to work in the Punjabi industry, south industry as long as it suits me, and I love the work. So, if I like a music video, I’ll do it too. I’ll do anything and everything that touches my heart.

SO WHAT ARE THE KIND OF ROLES THAT ARE CLOSE TO YOUR HEART, WHAT KIND OF CHARACTERS ARE

YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING?

I want to do a lot of women-oriented roles. It’s already such a male-oriented world, I want to shift the paradigm to make it more women-oriented. So, if I get a chance, I will not leave any opportunity to promote and take forward the cause of the women or girl child. Girls should progress more.

If I had my way, I would want the boys to ask girls to protect them. They would hold a girl’s hand to feel safe. So, I really want opportunities where I can bring this change, turn around things in favour of women.

YOU HAVE ALSO GONE THROUGH A LOT OF STRUGGLES IN YOUR LIFE, SEEN THE UPS AND DOWNS. WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR STRENGTH FROM?

It’s hard to say where I get the strength from. I think whenever such a situation arises, God gives me the strength. I know that I will make my own way. I know how to carve my own path. Because I know whatever comes my way, I am strong enough to handle that. It may take time, but I don’t like to get sympathy. So, I know that if there is a tough situation, it’s not for long. There’s a lot ahead of me. I am also the first one to empathise with people if I see them in a difficult situation. But I also know how to get through the problems in my life on my own. God will be there to help me find my way through it.

YOUR FANS FIND IT VERY EASY TO CONNECT WITH YOU. WHAT’S THE SECRET THERE? No secret, that’s the secret! I don’t have any filters. Sometimes I feel bad about it too. But I say whatever is there on my mind because I feel that is the truth. So whatever I feel, I say it out loud. And I think that’s the reason people connect. And people should be like that and there are many like me – with no filters! But there are people who have filters on all the time, they think something and say and do something else! But I am not shy or scared of speaking out. If I like or don’t like something, I say it upfront.

BUT IN THIS INDUSTRY, THAT CAN GET YOU IN TROUBLE. ALSO PEOPLE GET MISINTERPRETED, SO WOULD YOU TONE DOWN THAT ASPECT OF YOU?

I don’t think even then I will lie. But I will try to speak more responsibly and with awareness. I might become more conscious about not saying anything that might hurt anyone. Because not everyone is like you, ki mazak kar bhi le, aur mazak le bhi le. If anyone says anything to me, I can laugh it off easily, but I realise not everyone is like that. People get offended easily. So yes, I’ll try and take care of that but apart from this I don’t think I’ll change anything about myself. I don’t want to have a starry attitude. I just want to keep working, keep discovering myself as an actor and keep earning appreciation from people who truly recognise a talent in me. So, I want to keep this in my life always because I have seen a lot and I have gone through a lot.

This superstardom is momentary and when it’s their low point, it becomes difficult. So, good, bad, high, low… I always want to be ready for whatever might come my way saying that you’re the Shehnaaz Gill and you’ve seen and gone through a lot in the past and I want to take that with me, always!

TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR SHOW DESI VIBES WITH SHEHNAAZ GILL.

This show is uncut. It’s like having a conversation at home, so there are no edits, we just keep rolling. There’s no script as such that I try to follow. I want it to be more organic and natural rather than scripted. So I just go with the flow and make sure that the guest is feeling comfortable. Check their vibe and reflect accordingly.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING YOU?

I don’t know if I’m praising myself. It doesn’t feel right. But what people say, what my loved ones say is that Shehnaaz as a human - that I am very nice. Like they say that if I see anyone in trouble, I’ll be the first one to reach out, even if that would harm me. I empathise and can take a bullet for others!

HOW HAS YOUR EQUATION WITH SALMAN KHAN CHANGED FROM BIGG BOSS TO NOW BEING A COSTAR? HOW IMPORTANT IS HE AS A PERSON IN YOUR LIFE?

He’s a good human-being. He gives chance to new and upcoming artists and that’s a very good thing. So he gives that initial start to an artiste and then it’s up to the person. But that start is important. So I’m glad that I started my career with Salman Sir. Main isse zyada kya hi bol sakti hu, isse badi koi baat nahi hai

WHAT IS THAT ONE THING THAT YOU WANT TO IMBIBE FROM SALMAN’S LIFE?

Learn every day. Keep learning. He told me that if you want to do good then keep learning. Work hard. Learning is important. Keep growing. Don’t get stuck on one thing.

WHAT ARE YOUR UPCOMING PROJECTS, APART FROM THIS FILM?

I have a lot of projects coming up. Nikkhil Advani’s film has already been announced. Rest all announcements will also happen in due time.