Wamiqa Gabbi opens up about 바카라˜Charlie Chopra, playing a female detective inspired by Agatha Christie바카라™s books, working with Vishal Bhardwaj for the 4th time, 바카라˜Khufiya바카라™ and working with her screen idol, Tabu.
Wamiqa Gabbi is having the time of her life. With back-to-back hit projects like 바카라˜Grahan바카라™ and 바카라˜Jubilee바카라™, she is here with two releases in two weeks 바카라“ 바카라˜Charlie Chopra바카라™ and 바카라˜Khufiya바카라™. Interestingly both of them have been directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. She has already been garnering great reviews for playing the detective in 바카라˜Charlie Chopra바카라™, it will be interesting to see her in 바카라˜Khufiya바카라™, where she is seen in a completely different avatar.
Talking to Prateek Sur, Wamiqa Gabbi opens up about 바카라˜Charlie Chopra, playing a female detective inspired by Agatha Christie바카라™s books, working with Vishal Bhardwaj for the 4th time, 바카라˜Khufiya바카라™ and working with her screen idol, Tabu. Excerpts from the candid chat:
How does it feel to be back in Vishal Bhardwaj바카라™s universe again?
It바카라™s amazing. I바카라™m so glad that actors like me aspire to work with him at least once, and I바카라™m fortunate to be working with him for the fourth time. It has been a fantastic learning experience, and I feel very grateful. I don바카라™t know how all of this is happening, but I바카라™m just grateful that it is.
How did you land this role in 바카라˜Charlie Chopra바카라™, and can you describe your character?
My character바카라™s name is Charlie Chopra, and she hails from Chandigarh. She바카라™s a Punjabi. Charlie and her boyfriend have been working together, running their Honey Jam business for the past five years. However, her world is turned upside down when she suddenly learns that her fiancé is suspected of being a murderer and is in jail. She travels to Manali to save him and becomes embroiled in trying to solve the case. Charlie Chopra is one of the most enjoyable detectives I바카라™ve had the opportunity to portray. There are not many female detectives in India, and I바카라™m proud to be one of the first. Actually, I can바카라™t recall any other female detective in India, so being part of 바카라˜Charlie Chopra바카라™ is truly special. This isn바카라™t your typical serious drama; it바카라™s a murder mystery filled with fun, and it바카라™s set in a beautiful and mysterious world created by Vishal Sir바카라™s direction and Agatha Christie바카라™s influence. So, this is definitely something new and different for me, a character I haven바카라™t played before.
So, could you describe the process and preparations you went through before getting into the role?
Vishal Sir asked me not to take on any other projects before the shoot of 바카라˜Charlie Chopra바카라™ so that I could fully prepare for it. That바카라™s exactly what I did during the first two months of preparation. I didn바카라™t take on any other commitments; instead, I focused solely on reading the script. Vishal Sir and I dedicated our time to working on the scenes, dialogues, and various aspects of the character. It was an enjoyable and creative process. Additionally, I had Zoom calls with several female detectives to gain insights into their experiences and perspectives. I also watched the work of some prominent female detectives in India. In preparation for 바카라˜Charlie Chopra바카라™s unique storytelling style, which involves breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience throughout the show, I watched films that employed a similar technique. It was an intriguing and enlightening experience.
So, you바카라™ve appeared in smaller roles in movies, but I feel it바카라™s due to OTT that you have got such a huge recognition. Would you agree with that?
Before OTT, I was primarily involved in regional cinema, where I often played the lead role in theatrical films. My introduction to the world of OTT and digital platforms only happened three years ago. After the pandemic, I participated in my first series, 바카라˜Grahan,바카라™ directed by Renjan Chandale. It was a beautiful experience, and I hope to work with him again in the future. I바카라™ve also had smaller roles in films like 바카라˜Jabba바카라™ when I was in 7th grade, as well as a few more Hindi films during my school days. However, after that, I transitioned into playing lead roles in Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu films. My journey with OTT truly began in 2022, and it has allowed me to portray some remarkable characters, some of which are the most memorable in my career. I바카라™m grateful for the opportunity to have portrayed these roles, and it has indeed altered my perspective on my craft and the way I approach scripts now.
How would you look back at your journey, being somebody who바카라™s not from the industry?
Well, I wouldn바카라™t want to change anything about my journey. It has shaped me into the person I am today. I바카라™m genuinely delighted to be in this phase of my life, where I바카라™m promoting 바카라˜Charlie Chopra바카라™ and 바카라˜Khufiya,바카라™ and I have a promising lineup of films for the future. I wouldn바카라™t want to alter anything, even with all the struggles, ups and downs, and rejections. I바카라™m content and grateful for my journey. It may have been slow-paced, but it has been incredibly fruitful.
So, what would you say was your biggest struggle or challenge when you entered Bollywood?
Actually, I moved to Bombay almost ten years back. It바카라™s been a struggle only and challenges only since then. I think the biggest challenge is to just let everyone know that you exist. We say that we have to give auditions and all of that, and you keep getting better. And I think the only way to go about it is to work on yourself, on your craft, be so good that they can바카라™t reject you. It took me some time to understand that, but I바카라™m glad that now my only job that I feel is to work on myself. And rest is just destiny. It바카라™s all in the universe바카라™s hands. So that바카라™s all I do. I only work on myself. Since ten years I바카라™ve been giving a lot of auditions, but I think even the auditions go to specific people, right? It바카라™s not like everybody gets to audition for a show like 바카라˜Jubilee바카라™. Even for that, you have to struggle a lot. You have to give good auditions. That바카라™s your casting director. They must test you for these big series as well. So I바카라™m glad. I think as an outsider, you just need to only work on yourself. Constantly. Like, somebody was asking me, I don바카라™t know what they were asking, but I remember I told them, I said, for me, my recent work is like an exam for my next film. If I was from a filmy background or if I had relatives in the film industry, or if I belonged to the industry, I know that I would be given second chances, third chances, fourth chances, even if I don바카라™t do well. But as an outsider, I constantly need to work on my craft so that I get more work. I know that one bad performance (laughs). I don바카라™t worry about bad films. That바카라™s a decision that I need to take when I바카라™m signing one. But my work, I feel like that I need to constantly work at. I need to be better every time. Because, again, it바카라™s like my last film, my last project is going to be my exam for my future work. So, yeah, that is there, but that바카라™s also challenging.
Could you tell us something about your upcoming projects? We are aware of 바카라˜Khufiya,바카라™ but is there anything you can share about it or your other projects?
Well, I바카라™m thrilled that 바카라˜Khufiya바카라™ is also set to release just one week after 바카라˜Charlie Chopra,바카라™ and it바카라™s directed by Vishal Bhardwaj as well. It바카라™s truly amazing and overwhelming to be part of two of his projects. In 바카라˜Charlie Chopra,바카라™ I play the lead role, and in 바카라˜Khufiya,바카라™ I have the opportunity to work with Tabuji, whom I바카라™m a big fan of. So, I바카라™m on top of the world right now. Additionally, I have another Tamil film in the works called 바카라˜Jimmy바카라™ with Jaya Ram Ravi. I바카라™m very excited about it, especially because it바카라™s going to have a Pan-India release. Furthermore, I바카라™m involved in a theatrical produced by Atlee Sir, where I바카라™ll be working with Varun Dhawan. Atlee Sir has a remarkable track record of understanding the pulse of the audience, as evidenced by his recent blockbuster 바카라˜Jawan바카라™. Given this project, I believe it has that special something that will appeal to a wide audience, and it바카라™s truly amazing. I바카라™m immensely grateful that people like Atlee Sir have faith in me and that I can explore opportunities across different mediums. It means a lot to me that they trust me with their next projects.