The actress is upbeat about dance numbers in her forthcoming films. She chatted with Karan Bhardwaj
When it comes to powerhouse performance and dance, Bollywood doesn’t offer too many names. Post Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit, there is hardly any actress known to be a performer and a great dancer. But it seems actor Mahi Gill wants to prove a point. Known for her stellar performances, she is all set to showcase her dancing skills in her forthcoming projects which include Zanjeer, Bullet Raja and Gangs of Ghost. Apart from the meaty roles, there would be a lot of “latkas and jhatkas”. “I am pretty excited to be performing different dance forms this year. Though I had learnt classical dance for couple of years long back, I find it little difficult to shake my legs with choreographers. People say items numbers are easy but for me, they are very difficult. Bollywood dance is different from what I was exposed to earlier,” she told us over phone. In Gangs of Ghost, a comedy set in 1950s, Gill has copied style of former sizzlers. “The film is about dead souls of bygone era and they all are living in a mansion. I am sure people will have a laugh riot. There are variations in songs. One song relives that era and I did my research on how actors in 1940s and 1950s used to dance… their way of looking, expressions, latkas etc. It was really fun,” she said.
After Gangs of Ghost, the 37-year-old actress will be seen in Ram Charan and Priyanka Chopra starrer Zanjeer. “There is a raunchy number called Katilana. It’s like what Binduji did in Diljalo Ka Dil Jala Kay in original film,” she said. Zanjeer was challenging for one more reason. The film will also release in Telugu and the actors had to shoot the same sequences in two languages. “After Hindi, we would repeat the same scene in Telugu. We were given dialogues in advance to prepare. Now, I don’t remember anything but I did a good job on sets,” she recalled. In Bullet Raja, she will do a song with Saif Ali Khan. “It’s an item number,” she stated.
Apart from acting, Gill likes to click photographs. If given a chance, she would like to become a director of photography. But how about directing a movieIJ “I am not that intelligent. It is a tedious job and involves brain. I cannot do it. I am fond of travel and I do click of photos. So that’s one thing I would like to try in future,” she quipped. The Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster fame actress also brought up an interesting point. “I happen to spend a month every year in Gujarat. Even for Gangs of Ghost, we shot at a mansion in Surat. I feel there is a strong connection with the state and royalty,” she said.
Gill is also a part of regional cinema. “I am fond of Punjabi films. After Carry on Jatta, I got many offers but they were not exciting. Regional cinema is doing fabulous abroad,” she said. She is also venturing out in different genres. “I want to do action and horror,” she ended.