Shehnaaz Gill marked her Bollywood debut with ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’, starring Salman Khan. She also did ‘Thank You for Coming’ in the same year. Now, the actress has now opened up on why her Bollywood offers started drying up. She also got candid about her career choices and why she has been leaning more towards Punjabi cinema.
Why Bollywood offers slowed-down
In an interview with News18, explaining the shift, Shehnaaz Gill said, “In Punjabi films, the options for me are more. I won’t say that I don’t get as many offers from Bollywood, but I’ve become a star in the Punjabi film industry. And that’s the honest truth. It’s rightly said that log chhadte suraj ko salaam karte hai.”She added, “All film industries function that way. If you’re popular, people will come to you and would want to cast you in their films. Main toh beautiful hoon hi aur actor bhi achchi hoon. I get a greater number of lead roles in Punjabi films. The other reason is that there are very few women actors there.”
Shehnaaz Gill talks about waiting for the right roles
Even in Punjabi cinema, Shehnaaz Gill revealed she had to be selective. She said, “I’ve been getting a lot of offers from Punjabi filmmakers in the past five-six years but I wasn’t getting excited by most of the scripts. Most of them required me to not do any heavylifting. All I had to do was smile and laugh. I just want to do good, meaningful work. But thankfully, I got ‘Ishqnama’.”
What Shehnaaz Gilll wants from Bollywood roles
Speaking about her approach to Hindi films, Shehnaaz said, “When it comes to Bollywood too, I’ll do a film only if I’ve a role that leaves an impact. Otherwise, koi matlab nahi hai. Cinema aisi cheez hai jahaan aap chhap jaate ho saari umar ke liye. And the only way to be remembered is when you do good work.”She further explained, “It’s not like I want to appear in every scene throughout the length of the film. But I want my character to be pivotal to the story, a character who can drive the story forward. If I get such roles in Hindi films, I’ll definitely do it.”
Shehnaaz Gill on her deal breakers
Shehnaaz also revealed she wants to avoid being reduced to glamour roles. The actress shared, “I don’t want to be in a film only for glamour. I don’t want to be used as a prop. I don’t want to just be a heroine who appears in three odd songs in a film.” The actress added that she now wants to follow in Radhika Apte’s footsteps. She said, “I want to do what Radhika Apte does. She isn’t all about glamour. She’s known for her powerful roles. My dream is to be a good artist.”The actress will next feature in ‘Singh Vs Kaur’.
