Wamiqa Gabbi of Modern Love Mumbai, Mai, Khufia: ‘I am living my dream life now in the entertainment industry’

Actor Wamiqa Gabbi is truly living her dream life. There was a time when she thought that she would not be able to make it in the entertainment industry, but things started looking up for her in 2020. She is a household name in Punjab due to her strong presence in Punjabi cinema, but looks like she’s just getting started to be known for her work across the country.

The actor will be seen in the upcoming crime thriller, Khufiya opposite Ali Fazal and Tabu along with being a part of one of the stories of the Indian adaptation of the love anthology, Modern Love Mumbai, a web-show on Amazon Prime Video; both of these projects are being helmed by Vishal Bharadwaj. The trailer of _Modern Love Mumbai_ recently dropped on the internet and has been getting positive responses from all over ever since. The show will be streaming worldwide from 13th May only on Amazon Prime Video.

Wamiqa in an exclusive interview with Firstpost mentions that she never enjoyed living in Mumbai initially as she felt disconnected. Somebody once told her that she will be able to accept Mumbai only when Mumbai accepts her. Soon Mumbai accepted her and she thinks now she cannot live in any other city other than Mumbai. Excerpts:

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Tell us about your role in Modern Love Mumbai…

The story is about a mother and son. I am basically a catalyst for bringing them closer to each other. I was surprised that Vishal Bharadwaj thought of me to do this role. I was already shooting with him for _Khufia_. The role that I play in Modern Love Mumbai is completely different from Khufia and also this character is a Gujrati character. People have always seen me as a Punjabi girl. And Vishal always makes sure that the characters of his films look real and unique. I feel half the job is done if the look of the character is correct.

How was your experience of working on a short film?

The only problem with short films is that we wanted to shoot more because the set-up was so great. Had it been a one-day five minutes short film, I would have done it because it is directed by Vishal Bharadwaj. I am so happy that I am getting to work with these gems. The process was similar. We knew what we wanted to convey and we knew the story. It was just about execution.

Putting across the message in a short time was the difficult part and Vishal guided us brilliantly on this.  He wrote a story that was inspired by the New York Times article. He is a great writer even when it came to the Shakespeare adaptation of Hamlet which was turned into Haider. He was the master and we were just his puppets.

In a series or a feature film, the character gets time to evolve. But this is not the case with a short film. The script has to be sharp and the message has to be sent across quickly. In a short film, you don’t have the luxury of time. For Modern Love Mumbai, all the characters are not connected, but it is under one banner though and Mumbai is the only connection.

On your journey in the entertainment industry.

At this point feel it’s like a dream. I never imagined that I would be able to do the kind of films I am doing now. I am an outsider and didn’t have anybody recommending me. I have just completed eight years now. I still can’t believe that it’s happening to me and I am getting a chance to play the protagonist with so many brilliant filmmakers.

I am halfway through 2022 and it’s already turning out to be a fabulous year for me. With Mai getting a phenomenal response from all over, I am all the more excited for what’s more in store in the next half of this year, and two of these major projects being with Vishal is like a dream come true. I feel fortunate to get the opportunity of working with such an experienced and talented filmmaker like him so early on in my career. The kind of projects that I am doing like Jubilee and Khufia are very special to the filmmakers too and I being able to be a part of it is a great feeling.

How difficult was your journey at the beginning of your career?

I struggled in the beginning when I came to Mumbai. It wasn’t very comfortable living in small apartments in Mumbai for me because I am from Punjab and I lived in a joint family. And suddenly here I was in a small flat alone. Mumbai was a cultural shock for me.

When the journey started, I realised that it is a different ball game altogether and nobody is really waiting for me here, and getting rejected again and again was not easy for me. I never enjoyed living in Mumbai initially and I used to feel very disconnected. I remember somebody telling me you will be able to accept Mumbai only when Mumbai accepts you. The day Mumbai accepted me, I started loving the city. Now I consider Mumbai to be my home.  Now I feel I can’t live in any other city other than Mumbai.

It was just before the pandemic that I started working very hard on my craft and that too happened through Vishal Bharadwaj because I gave an audition for one series and I was so confident that I would not get it, but I was chosen. I got a call that I will have to do a three-day workshop with Atul Mongia, one of the most talented and expensive casting coaches, and that kind of changed my perspective on cinema and life. And today I am here doing the kind of work, I always wanted to do.

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