Wamiqa Gabbi on learning to survive and thrive in the Indian film industry

It is popularly quoted in acting classes that the hardest part of being an actor is the waiting time. For the better part of one’s career, an actor just waits for the phone call from the right casting director, writer, producer, or film director. 

In a memorable and endearing part of the spunky survivor Nilofer in Jubilee, the much-appreciated Amazon Prime Video web series, Wamiqa Gabbi has turned the tables on waiting in style.

Before getting this role of a lifetime, Gabbi worked in the Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam film industries. While she managed to get a lot of screen time, she craved for quality parts and meaty characters. Waiting for a part like hers in Jubilee has taught her lessons beyond her work and ambitions. 

“I had been living in Mumbai for eight to nine years. I came here when I was 19, and I got my break just last year with Grahan (a Disney+Hotstar show). I got rejected so many times!” the actor tells YS Life.

Growing up, Gabbi was the pampered child in her family. The film industry was, however, very different. “I realised that no one is waiting for me. I also think that I wasn’t getting work because I was not good enough. I took three years to work on myself. I have realised my flaws and my shortcomings. It sounds philosophical, but that is when things changed for me–when I tried becoming a better person. It really improved my craft,” she says. 

Gabbi has spent nearly a decade in Mumbai, waiting for the right kind of roles. Her debut was in a Hindi film, Sixteen (2013). But in the age of hyper marketing, self-promotions, and extensive networking, she didn’t find another project in the mainstream. 

Regional films kept Gabbi occupied while she kept looking for better roles in Hindi films. Working with South Indian films brought first-hand experience of professionalism on a film set, but the challenge of finding a quality part remained. 

“I never thought I would get this kind of appreciation which I find now (post Jubilee). I felt a part of this when Grahan released. People loved and appreciated my character in that series. But Jubilee has taken this to another level. I have been really fortunate to work with really good directors. I had a nice experience working with Ranjan Chandel on Grahan, it brought me a beautiful part.” 

Things shifted for Gabbi with Kabir Khan’s cricket historical film 83. She played the small but likeable character of Anu, wife of cricketer Madan Lal. Then came Grahan and Mai, the crime thriller on Netflix, in quick succession. 

“I remember in 2019, there was a point when I wasn’t getting the kind of roles that I wanted to do. I had almost made up my mind that I would just work for a couple more films and then travel the world,” she says.

Gabbi started doubting if she was meant to be an actor. “Maybe my passion lies in something else. I am not a trained actor and perhaps was a bad actor back then. Had I known my craft well three years back, I would never get tired of my acting profession,” she adds. 

Manu in Grahan and Supriya in Mai were both refreshing characters with a touch of gullibility. For Gabbi, this worked as the ‘X’ Factor in getting noticed by both audiences and filmmakers. 

“I don’t judge my characters or their choices at all…When I don’t judge them, I find it is very easy to understand them. And I think there is some innocence (in each character). When you see Nilofer in Jubilee, who is sexy and bold, you see a touch of innocence in her. People relate to that innocence, because no one likes someone who is pure evil,” Gabbi says. 

Gabbi’s work on OTT and film stood out because she comes across as unassuming and natural.

Filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj, for whom actors queue up to work with, signed up Gabbi for Khufiya, his upcoming spy drama on Netflix with Tabu and Ali Fazal. He also got her onboard for Mumbai Dragons, his short film in the anthology Modern Love Mumbai for Prime Video. 

Since then, Gabbi has worked in Fursat, his film shot entirely on iPhone, and in his upcoming web series, Charlie Chopra and Mystery of the Solang Valley. But the chance to work with Vikramaditya Motwane almost didn’t happen when she got rejected in the first round of auditions. 

Eventually, when signed up for Nilofer, Gabbi worked on building her character during workshops. “I understood that Nilofer is bold and unapologetic. Everything that she does or handles in the series is a lot of fun. As an actor, I needed to figure out why she is strong. How has she become so bold? I built a back-story for Nilofer so that I could bring that up while enacting her. Prep like that is possible when, as an artist, you have worked on yourself so that you can develop empathy and understanding of your character,” she says.  

Empathy or hard work, both have paid dividends for this green-eyed actor who has made a mark beyond frenzied social media hype that is almost second nature to film actors. Her filmography features filmmakers that spark envy amongst most. Her work has won praise across the board, like Zeenat Aman’s remark that she would have wanted to play Nilofer in Jubilee had she been given the chance. 

Ask her for a response, and Gabbi says, “This is a really overwhelming phase of my life. While I am experiencing such appreciation, it pushes me to work harder on my roles. I am thankful to all my filmmakers for giving me this chance.” 

Eventually, talent finds a way. Gabbi’s story of waiting for good things to happen is testimony to this. “The hardest thing is patience, and the wait. If you can master that, life becomes easier,” Gabbi concludes.