Exclusive! Jubilee's Wamiqa Gabbi: Actors have to make a constant effort to be likeable

Actress Wamiqa Gabbi got to experience the film industry thanks to Vikramaditya Motwane's web series Jubilee.

In a special conversation with OTTplay, we asked her what she thought were the big differences between stardom in the era gone by and the present day.

Wamiqa said, "I think the good thing about the present time is women's representation. In the 1950s, even though there were some really powerful and graceful female actors that we all admired, I am not sure if there were a good number of female technicians. That is a positive change. But maintaining stardom and handling the media is a pressure we all face now, which was not that much earlier. There was innocence, simplicity, and mystery around actors and singers. Earlier, audiences loved or hated an actor only because of the characters they played on screen. They were really out of reach, and that's why audiences waited for a superstar to arrive at a film screening or any public event."

Highlighting the constant pressure of image and perception building for the media and fans, Wamiqa shared that she is trying to make an effort to surround herself with the right kind of people.

"These days, even when we are done shooting a film, we are shooting for promotion, interviews, and public events, and after a point, I feel that we are overexposed. Look, I love all the compliments, my fans and critics. But we are humans too. If I am having a bad day and refuse to get a picture clicked with a fan or journalist, that one moment might get blown out of proportion, and people could start thinking negatively about me. They might say that I am arrogant and that things can go wrong. That bothers me at times. We have to make a constant effort to be likeable so that the audience watches our films and shows. It's a tough space," said the Grahan actress.

Hailing from Chandigarh with no film background, Wamiqa built her career brick by brick. Now that she has a great line-up of projects, she says that she tries to hold on to her authenticity.

"As an artist, I should never lose anything that makes me unique. With time and people around us, we tend to lose our authentic selves and things to fit in. I am an actor because I love acting and cinema. So, to keep my mind on the right track, I just want to surround myself with motivating and well-meaning people who will always allow me to be myself," said the actress, who is busy working on Vishal Bhardwaj's next project.

Jubilee is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.