Exclusive: Wamiqa Gabbi on being on top of the world, the roaring success of Jubilee and more!
Wamiqa Gabbi’s character in the hit series Jubilee is delightful to watch. She’s amoral, ambitious and has no qualms about sleeping her way to the top. But there’s a vulnerability to her as well which reaches out to you and make you root for her, no matter what. In Khufiya, she’s a bored housewife in the first half and an avenging angel in the next. In the detective series Charlie Chopra, she plays a bubbly detective who can detect like the best of them. She’s having the time of her life but knows that this won’t last for long. She’s enjoying every minute of it though, as can be seen from the sparkle in her eyes, the spring in her step. She feels she needs to lose weight, so in between sips of herbal tea, she answers our salvos… 
Your roles in Jubilee, Charlie Chopra and The Mystery of Solang Valley and Khufiya are getting talked about.
I am enjoying this phase a lot, but I also know that this is temporary. My parents are happy and I am so happy that I am making them proud. My parents have come to Mumbai. When they were coming from the airport to my house, on the highway, they saw hoards of Charlie and Khufiya. It was such an amazing moment. I’ve also bought my first car, a Jeep Meridian. My father really likes SUVs. I knew that when he came here, he would love to drive it.
You have done back-to-back projects with Vishal Bhardwaj, Charlie Chopra and Khufia?
I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to work with him. I had auditioned with him for Midnight’s Children in 2019. It was hard to believe that Vishal Bharadwaj was taking me into his film. Then I came to know that the platform was looking for a popular face, but Vishal sir fought with the platform, saying, “I want this girl. She has something.” Such people give you perspective in life. Because of him, I started listening to Osho and we started bonding over Osho’s thoughts. They talk about love, empathy, kindness and life and how important the present moment is, not the past.
Tell us about the working styles of Vikramaditya Motwane and Vishal Bhardwaj.
No other director is technically strong other than Vikramaditya sir. And Vishal sir is emotionally very strong. Both are quite different from each other and I enjoyed working with both. Whether you see Jubilee, Charlie, or Khufiya, they have a different language, but it is so delightful. But both have the same passion.
Is there any other character from Jubilee that you’d have liked to play?
I’d have loved to play Sumitra Devi too. At that time, I wasn’t able to understand what I was getting. All I knew was that I would get a chance to work in Vikram sir’s series. Out of the five characters, I will be playing one and this is what I will do. It was only when the series was made and seen that I realised what it was. At that time, I was just doing it. But overall, when I understood Niloufer’s contribution to the show, I understood that I was so lucky that it happened.
One could see that you were enjoying playing Niloufer.
I had fallen in love with Niloufer when I read about her and tried to understand her. I had a heartfelt connection with her. Earlier, I did not know how to have fun and love the characters. It was only in the past two years, starting with Grahan, that I understood how to have fun. Since then, I have only searched for fun.
Did you take inspiration from any yesteryear’s actress to play the role?
I watched the songs of Madhubala and Nargis. But Niloufer is not Madhubala. Niloufer is not Nargis. She is not Meena Kumari. It was a mix of all. So I watched their songs. Their onscreen persona was there, but as for offscreen, I had the complete freedom to make Niloufer my own. Yes, when she comes onscreen to do their films, she is giving all the expressions, but offscreen, she is Niloufer, a different personality. The way she is, she sleeps with everybody, she loves money. She is a prostitute and all that... She could have easily been disliked by the audience.
Which actor from yesteryear has impressed you the most?
Madhubala, for sure. Her beauty and the way the cinema world was like- the madness that was there for actors- were on a different level. I think the actors must be experiencing a different high because at that time, people would tear out the pages of a magazine interview and keep them with them. That sort of craze is not there nowadays. We are saying that now females are getting good characters, but Madhubala has a Mughal-E-Azam. Nargis has a Mother India- movies dont get bigger than these. So many good characters were even available then.
One could see that you were enjoying playing Niloufer.
I had fallen in love with Niloufer when I read about her and tried to understand her. I had a heartfelt connection with her. Earlier, I did not know how to have fun and love the characters. It was only in the past two years, starting with Grahan, that I understood how to have fun. Since then, I have only searched for fun.
Did you take inspiration from any yesteryear’s actress to play the role?
I watched the songs of Madhubala and Nargis. But Niloufer is not Madhubala. Niloufer is not Nargis. She is not Meena Kumari. It was a mix of all. So I watched their songs. Their onscreen persona was there, but as for offscreen, I had the complete freedom to make Niloufer my own. Yes, when she comes onscreen to do their films, she is giving all the expressions, but offscreen, she is Niloufer, a different personality. The way she is, she sleeps with everybody, she loves money. She is a prostitute and all that... She could have easily been disliked by the audience.
Which actor from yesteryear has impressed you the most?
Madhubala, for sure. Her beauty and the way the cinema world was like- the madness that was there for actors- were on a different level. I think the actors must be experiencing a different high because at that time, people would tear out the pages of a magazine interview and keep them with them. That sort of craze is not there nowadays. We are saying that now females are getting good characters, but Madhubala has a Mughal-E-Azam. Nargis has a Mother India- movies dont get bigger than these. So many good characters were even available then.
Did you ever think of quitting?
I had thought of quitting in 2019 when five of my Punjabi films were released, out of which three became super hits. But because I was not enjoying doing it, I felt that I should do something else. Dad would always say, “Only do something you enjoy.” But Vishal sir’s audition for Midnight’s Children happened, and my life took a new turn after that.
You are so sorted at such a young age…
(Laughs) Hain naa… I think I will die early. Life has become easy over the last two years. And I hope it will become better still.
Is there anything you want to change about yourself?
I want to be more disciplined in life. I am not. Maybe because of work, I am also more tired nowadays. But even then, whenever I get time, I stay at home. I do nothing. I like it a lot to not do anything. If today someone told me that you will get food every day, you have a place to stay, and there are animals around you, I swear, I will not do anything in life. I will leave everything behind. I can spend my entire day sitting on grass. But I think I need to be more disciplined in life. I need to focus on fitness and on my body, and I think that will come because of discipline
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Patria Henriques
Update: 2024-07-12