Mahie Gill on how she prepared to play the village belle in “Paan Singh Tomar”
After yet another power-packed performance last year in “Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster”, Mahie Gill is all geared up to play a rustic woman in her next film “Paan Singh Tomar”. “Indra has a temper. She is filled with anger as her husband has never really been by her side. She has been in waiting for many years. This wait can be very frustrating, and that was what I had to bring out through her character,” says the actor.
“Paan Singh Tomar”, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, is a film set in Chambal in the heartland of India. It is the real-life story of Paan Singh (played by Irrfan Khan), a small town farmer who became a steeplechase champion winning the National Games event for seven consecutive years. Due to a series of life-changing events, the man gave up sports and picked up the gun to become a dreaded dacoit.
No-glam look
Mahie plays Paan Singh’s wife Indra in the film. As Indra, the wife of Paan Singh Tomar, Mahie has gone for a zero-make-up, no-glam look. “Indra is a village woman. She has a rugged look. I used to run my hands through mud to see that my nails looked dirty. I was trained to speak a certain MP dialect,” says Mahie, adding it was director Tigmanshu’s guidance that took her through the film. “He had done a lot of research.”
With films such as “Dev.D”, “Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster” and now “Paan Singh Tomar”, Mahie seems to be a favourite when it comes to intense acting. While she is happy to do the films coming her way, she wants to experiment with newer characters. “I am very lucky to enjoy the trust of directors when it comes to intense acting. But I’d like to show there is much more to me. I want to explore different genres,” she elaborates.
COMNG UP THIS YEAR
Ribhu Dasgupta’s “Michael” with Naseeruddin Shah
Vivek Agnihotri’s “Buddha in a Traffic Jam” with Arunoday Singh
Tigmanshu Dhulia’s “Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster 2” with Jimmy Shergill and Randeep Hooda
Satish Kaushik’s “Mayanagari”
Gippy Grewal’s Punjabi film “Carry on Jatta” (a romcom)
Tags: Buddha in a Traffic Jam Carry on Jatta Irfan Khan Mahie Gill Mayanagari Michael Naseeruddin Shah Paan Singh Tomar Sahib Biwi aur Gangster Tigmanshu Dhulia
