AUGUST 2018 F INDIA TODAY PUNJABI 11W
hen she was just eight, Chandigarh-based Wamiqa
Gabbi realised she loved being on stage. “Stage
phobia never touched me. I was naturally drawn
towards the spotlight,” says Gabbi.
One of the few Punjabi actors to have been part of Hindi,
Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, the 24-year-old
says that the audiences will get to see a very different facet of her
acting in the upcoming Malayalam film Nine directed by Jenuse
Mohammed, “While I am not allowed to reveal much, I can say
that my character Eva has multiple shades. Southern superstar
Prithviraj is my co-star in the movie and I am really excited about
it,” she says.
While many young actors today go through the grind of
professional training and enroll themselves in acting institutes
before facing the camera, Gabbi steered clear of that path.
“While training is important to fine-tune one's skill set, in my
case, the exhaustive theatre experience and the grind of rehears-
als ensured an easy transition into different roles,” she says.
The young actor swears by the professionalism and versatil-
ity of the southern film industry. “I feel very proud to be part of
an industry which boasts of such talented
people. However, the communica-
tion gap saddens me. Despite being
from the same country, we can’t
understand each other,”
she says. The actor, whose Tamil movie Iravaakaalam starring
SJ Surya is set to release this year says, “There is no particular
character that I wish to portray. I just want to push myself to do
justice to whichever role I am offered.”
Gabbi is excited about her next Punjabi film Prahuna which
is set to release in September this year. Speaking about the
Punjabi film industry, the actor believes that it is important that
more people start going to theatres to watch regional films, as
this will give a huge boost to the film industry. “The Punjabi
film industry is fairly new and needs all the support it can get,”
says Gabbi. Ask her about Punjabi film directors’ obsession with
romantic comedies and she says, “Things are
changing. I am optimistic that once the industry grows,
directors will start exploring different themes and treat them in
their unique way.an industry which boasts of such talented
people. However, the communica-
tion gap saddens me. Despite being
from the same country, we can’t
understand each other,”says Gabbi. Ask her about Punjabi film directors’ obsession with
romantic comedies and she says, “Things are
changing. I am optimistic that once the industry grows,
directors will start exploring different themes and treat them in
their unique way.Punjabi film industry is fairly new and
needs all the support it can get. Once
the industry has a strong footing,
directors will start exploring unique
themes and treatments
Wamiqa Gabbi, ActorQUICK TAKEIf Not an Actor
Singer
îí
Secret Therapy
Painting and Yoga
îí
Director you would
love to work with
Imtiaz Ali
îí
Favourite Holiday
Destination
Love to travel, so
like different things
about different places