Her dimples are surely something you can’t miss!
The number of films she has done may be limited but she has carved a niche for herself in the highly competitive Hindi film industry. That’s Gul Panag for you. Gul received wide recognition for her work in films like Door and Manorama six feet under.
Ask her whether she selects her roles deliberately? She says, “Of course, I select my roles deliberately. I get a lot of work but on a ratio of ten films I give a nod to one film. There have been times when I have to really convince people just to say no. Every time I say no, it becomes clear as to what I want to do. In creative field if you keep doing the same thing then you won’t be known for your unique and different work. I believe there’s one way to be different. That’s to do things differently.” Gul will also be seen in Ram Gopal Verma’s film Ran with Amitabh Bachchan and Paresh Rawal.
There’s something interesting about her recent release Straight-Pinu Patel Ki Tedi Medi Love Story with Vinay Pathak. She says, “The entire hair and make-up is done by me in the film and I will gracefully accept all the compliments, if I get appreciation for my new look. It is amazing to work with directors like Parvaty Balagopalan. She is so open that it’s a pleasure to work with her. Only when freedom is given, good creative work can be done.”
So does she do commercial films just to survive in the industry? Gul immediately says, “All films are commercial.” She adds, “Every single film made is a commercial one. People don’t make films to bear losses. Films are made for different kind of audience but in the end every film generates money so there is nothing like non-commercial films. It is just a term used by people these days,” she points out.
Lead roles are not something that Gul waits for but she loves them as she gets a bigger canvas and the entire story runs around her. “When one does a lead role, everything is on your shoulder. I am not quite comfortable with that but I love to do a mix of everything. It is important to play a role that excites me,” says Gul who wishes to play a psychopath or a killer role.
With Bollywood gaining recognition all over the world, Gul feels that the “Hindi film industry is shrinking and nowadays it’s good that films like Pink Panther are being made. Indians are everywhere and that is why our cinema is also going global.” She is quite keen on working in television shows. “I am in talks with people and I would love to anchor TV shows,” she says.
Style and Gul go hand-in-hand but she feels that she is not someone who follows fashion. “I am not a sheep. I don’t follow the crowd and the so called fashion trends. I wear something I like and I am comfortable in, not something that is in fashion. My clothes reflect my mind and there is no point in wearing clothes which in the end just look like a uniform. But I have noticed that if you do something different, you become odd. If you wear different clothes, your style doesn’t really become popular,” she says.
Ask her to define her as a person and she laughs and says, “I am something today and completely different tomorrow. I am trying to be a person who loves to go with the flow. I love listening to good music and I like to be with positive people. It just makes my mood better,” she says.
Gul is one person who guards her privacy and that has been a very conscious decision. “I want to be known for my work and talent, not for my private life. Directors give me work because of my capabilities as an actor and not due to gossips in the newspapers. And if I am known for my private life then I would rather not be known at all,” she points out.
That definitely speaks a lot about her as a person.
