If her vivacious attitude doesn’t get your attention, Gul Panag’s dimpled smile definitely will.
Whether it is her grave role in her film or the sparkly wife in the television advert with Aamir Khan, Gul’s going places. With lots of films up her sleeve, she talks about her co-stars, her characters and the year 2009.
Talking about her soon-to-be-releasing film, Straight with Vinay Pathak, she defines her role as by far the most visually different. “I have always made a conscious effort to stay away from being typecast. In Straight, my character is visually a very effective one. I play a caricature artist, and the way I look has been portrayed very beautifully.”
Gul is all praises for co-star Vinay, “He’s an actor par excellence, and you’re going to see him in a surprisingly different role. We are great friends, working with him was a great pleasure. You have to see the film to realise that.” What does she prefer: masala flicks or commercial movies? “Whatever I do, I do it wholeheartedly and without making a noise about it. I want to have a good body of work, whether it comes to promoting my films, informing the decision to the public or reaching out to them. I make a conscious effort to last long and not just four or five years.”
Does that mean she has no time for love? “Oh no, I have lots of time for love. But, I don’t believe in making my personal life grab the gossip headlines. That’s all. People just put too much of importance to trivial issues,” says she.
How does the year 2009 look to her? “I’m doing Hello Darling, Phir Zindagi, Anubhav, Ek Rectangular Love Story, Ram Gopal Verma’s next called Rann, which also stars Amitabh Bachchan and a Prakash K Jha film,” she says.
While her schedule is going from busy to hectic, Gul’s idea of unwinding is interesting. “I love travelling in the mountains, road trips and getting away from the everyday ruckus! There’s so much peace and serenity there. I am currently training my dog who I also enter in a lot of dog shows. And, my favourite thing to do is ride my Enfield around,” says she. That’s quite a different task she takes up unlike other dainty actresses. “Just because I ride a bike, it does not mean I am like a man! I am very feminine, and I like being that way. But, I enjoy riding bikes, adventure sports and travelling too!” Gul. In other words, she does come across as someone who knows the fine art of balancing her work with her personal life: a quality not many share.
