Gul Panag comes from an army family and as a child was always on the move – in fact she attended fourteen different schools, including schools in New Zealand and Zambia. This clearly developed her self- reliance and this bright, beautiful young woman – who was Miss India in 1999 – graduated in Mathematics and achieved a Masters in Political Science. On the way, she also won the Miss Beautiful Smile Award at the Miss Universe pageant.
She appeared as Nimmi in the excellent Manorama Six Feet Under and was last seen in Summer 2007. But it’s her upcoming projects, the much-anticipated Hello, Straight and Hello Darling that are attracting a lot of interest. Who does she play in Hello? “I play Priyanka – a girl who is very glam, and aware of the power of her good looks,” she says, “She has shades of grey that makes her very real and relatable.”
Gul was recently seen on the cover of the September issue of Maxim. After six years in the industry, why has she chosen to take this route now? “I know, the first question which comes to the mind of so many people out there is – ‘Why is Gul being seen in such outfits on print after being in the industry for so many years?’ Well, my answer is simple and straight – no one approached me to do such a shoot before!”
Is the racy photoshoot just another sign of Gul the rebel? “I guess you aren’t getting the point. See for me, what carries the utmost importance is to do what I feel is right,” she explains, “You may call me a rebel for driving a Royal Enfield motor bike; you may call me a rebel for driving a Formula One Renault racing car; you may call me a rebel for running kilometers at a stretch – I’ve done all those things – and if that’s your definition of someone being a rebel then I am surprised that wearing a night costume for a mainstream magazine could be categorized as a rebellious act.”
