My mum sees my films and freaks out: Mahie Gill

After serenading her audience with the unapologetically brash ‘Ranaji’ song in Gulaal (2009), and later stepping into the shoes of Paro in Anurag Kashyap’s modern day spin-off Dev D, Mahie Gill is ready in another bold avatar for Ram Gopal Varma’s Not A Love Story.

The film is inspired from the real life murder of television producer Neeraj Grover in 2008, for which Kannada actress Maria Susairaj and Naval officer Emile Jerome were sent to jail. (They were both convicted of various charges – light and serious -- recently)

In a freewheeling chat with DNA’s Blessy Chettiar, Mahie talks about her role, Ram Gopal Varma, her resemblance to Tabu and a lot more.

Here’s a question you are probably fed up of answering. How did you prepare for your role in Not A Love Story?
Honestly, I did not do anything. Initially I thought I’d meet Maria and learn her mannerisms, etc. But I didn’t need to get there as Ramu Sir had done full research. Within two weeks of getting a call from him, we were shooting. Since my film is only inspired and not based on the Neeraj Grover case, I didn’t have to prepare much. The director had done his homework well.

The film was shot in the same building where the murder occurred. How was the experience? Did anything creepy happen?
We shot the film in flat number 1501, Dheeraj Solitaire building, Malad, while the murder happened in flat number 201. It was indeed creepy as we used the same lift, same location. Twice the lift even opened on the 2nd floor. It was all very weird.

Apart from Not A Love Story, you also have Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster, both of which are bold roles. How does your family react to them?
My mom passes really funny comments about the roles I play. She lives in the US and visits India often. Recently, she saw pictures of me in Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster and freaked out. She said it would be better if I’d become a lecturer or something. My brothers are very happy with the kind of work I’m doing.

How did you land Dev D?
When I was badly looking for work, nothing came my way. For some reason, I gave really bad auditions and didn’t get past the audition stage most of the times. Then I got lucky. As a person, I’m not very ambitious. I believe in destiny a lot. Once at a common friend’s party, I was dancing non-stop when Anurag noticed me. I was offered No Smoking, but somehow that didn’t workout. Later, I got Paro’s role in Dev D.

Your looks are compared to Tabu’s. Is that flattering or added pressure?
Yes, it is flattering to an extent. But Tabu is very talented, and I hope to reach at least 5% of what she is someday. We met two years back and we’re not at all same-looking. Nevertheless, people think so and hence expect more from me.

In Dabangg, you had a blink-and-you-miss role. Are you okay with playing such miniscule roles?
Not at all. I will never do a Dabangg-type role again. But friends are an exception and here I did it for Abhinav (Kashyap, director of Dabangg). I prefer roles which are creatively and commercially important.

For the sake of controversy, who’s a better director: RGV or Tigmanshu Dhulia (of Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster)?
(Laughs) Both films are different, and so are the directors. They are really intelligent people who know their craft well. For example, both shot intimate scenes of my films so aesthetically. In somebody else’s hands it’d look sleazy. Both have made strong content-based films, with different techniques. It’s difficult to choose.