Exclusive! 83 actor Wamiqa Gabbi: I have been waiting to play lead roles since my acting debut in Jab We Met

Wamiqa Gabbi has come a long way after debuting in acting with a small role in Jab We Met. Not only Hindi but the young actor has been seen in multiple languages films across India including in Punjabi, Telugu and Malayalam.

After performing with grace in the 2021 web series Grahan, the actor has recently been seen in the star-studded film 83 by Kabir Khan. OTTplay caught up with the actor to talk about her journey as an actor, her experience working in the Ranveer Singh starrer film and her future projects. Excerpts:

Mentioning how overwhelmed she has been to be a part of such a huge film, the actor said, “I am so glad that I’m a part of this film, which is about this historical event that happened in 1983. I’m really happy.” The film is based on India’s World Cup win in 1983. But Wamiqa revealed she hasn’t been a great fan of the sport or followed it religiously. “However, I live in a joint family and my Uncle is a big cricket fan. He’s one of those people who like to watch the repeat telecast of test matches. My family and I live in Mohali near the cricket stadium and whenever there's a match going on, we can hear the commentary from our home itself,” she added.

When asked if she has heard stories about the 83 World Cup while growing up, the Grahan actor mentioned, “So, 83 is about the celebration of India winning the world cup and every corner of the country has some story to tell. It was a united moment for the whole country and everyone came together to celebrate the historical win.”

The actor essayed the character of cricketer Madan Lal’s wife Anu Lal but she didn’t get to meet her in real life. She prepared for the role with the help of Kapil Dev’s wife, a close friend of Ms Lal and Rumi Dev’s daughter who is one of the assistant directors of 83. She said they helped her pick a few of her characteristics to play the role.

Despite the pandemic situation, the team of 83 decided to go with a theatrical release unlike many of its contemporaries. The actor says the decision was made by the makers after realising the kind of responses other filmmakers were receiving on the digital release of their films. “At the beginning of the pandemic, there were a lot of filmmakers, who opted to digitally release their movies, which gave us a perspective of how the audience would have reacted to it as an OTT film. Considering everything, the makers of 83 decided to wait and release the film on the big screens,” she said. She, however, believes that OTT has been very fruitful for aspiring actors. “And not just for the actors but the directors, DOPs, costume designers, set designers, for curious producers, who wanted to do something different. OTT has given a new chance and a lot of opportunity to everyone in the entertainment industry,” she opined.

Wamiqa began acting by playing a small role in Shahid Kapoor-Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer Jab We Met. Post that, the actor was seen in a few more Bollywood films before her debut in the Punjabi film industry. She has since been more active in Punjabi films. In 2021, she performed graciously in the action-thriller web series Grahan and soon after that bagged 83. When asked about her journey in the acting career till now, the actor replied that it has been beautiful. “I didn’t think like this earlier. But in Jab We Met, I was in 8th standard and I always used to think if I’ll ever get a chance to play the lead and important roles or not. Now, I’m just grateful wherever life's taking me now,” she added.

Wamiqa debuted in the Malayalam film industry too, alongside Tovino Thomas in the film Godha. She plays the role of a Punjabi wrestler. She informed, “I took almost two months of training in that sport. Unfortunately, my thyroid suddenly hit me during that time; however, it turned out to be lucky for me as I had to gain weight for my character.” She also added that Tovino is one of her closest friends and she’s happy that she got to work with him. “I liked his recent film Minnal Murali a lot,” she added.

The actor was last seen in the Punjabi film Galwakdi. She is currently working on Vishal Bhardwaj’s Khufiya that also stars Ali Fazal and Tabu. “Next, I have Netflix’s upcoming web series Mai that stars Sakshi Tanwar. It will be out in a few months,” Wamiqa said and signed off.