Former Punjabi actress Mahi Gill has gotten off to a good start in Bollywood with strong roles in Dev D and Gulaal. The young actress has been talking about her upcoming roles, “I have two films that should be released soon – Aage Se Right and Paan Singh Tomar. In Aage Se Right, which is a comic thriller, I play a reporter,” she says. The film, a modern satire, also stars Shreyas Talpade, Kay Kay Menon and the up-and-coming Shenaz Treasurywala.
In Paan Singh Tomar, Mahi is billed alongside Irrfan Khan in the true story of Baaghi, the national athlete who became a dacoit in the Chambal Valley area later in life. “This film sees me in a non-glam role, however,” Mahi explains, “Tigmanshu Dhulia, the film’s director, has done an excellent job with his characters in the film.”
Mahi was astonished recently to find that a film she had made five years ago – Pal Pal Dil Ke Saath. “How could they have released the film in my absence?” she asks, “I hadn’t even dubbed for it. I’ve no knowledge of the film being completed. I got to know from my friends in Mumbai that the film had released.”
Mahi discovered the price of her new fame recently after attending a friend’s wedding in Delhi. Hoping to do some shopping afterward, she suddenly found herself being mobbed by fans. “People recognised me immediately and I was almost mobbed,” she explains, “I just had to get back into the car and leave for the airport.”
In Gulaal, Mahi’s character talks about her resemblance to Tabu. Now, in real life, Tabu has been saying she doesn’t want to do the flashback scenes in the epic tragedy The Legend of Kunal, so would Mahi stand in her place? “Why not?” she asks, “I’d love to play a young Tabu. Chandraprakash Dwivedi is a great director. Since I’m a director’s actor, I don’t mind trying out such a role in the flashback scenes in the film.”
