Gauahar Khan has come a long way since her days as a Miss India contestant. She was first spotted on the big screen as a distraught yet ambitious receptionist in the Ranbir Kapoor starrer Rocket Singh: Salesman of The Year. After that, the actress went on to become a household name with her Bigg Boss stint. After steering away from the limelight for a while now, Gauhar will be back with a short film — Peanut Butter — where she plays a mother to an 18-year-old. Gauahar explains that the writer-director Manu Chobe approached her after writing the character keeping her in mind. “I am flattered when film makers come and tell me they had me in mind while writing a character. That is a great compliment in itself,” she explains. “If they think I can carry off a character like that, then it is a role I will look forward to. Of course it is a challenge for someone my age to want to play a 28-year old mother but these kind of dares are something I look forward to. Actors have to be absolutely ready and be confident about what they do.” Gauhar drew inspiration from her life as an aunt for the film. “I have nieces and nephews — I treat them just like I would if I were their mother. I know how it feels to be a mother. So for this film, my emotions came from this space.”
Gauahar will also be sharing screen space with Vidya Balan in Begum Jaan which is due to release in April. It will be directed by National award-winning director Srijit Mukherji, so Gauahar cannot stop gushing about the project. “Working with Vidya is a dream come true — I want someone to pinch and wake me up. It’s a well-written script. I can’t reveal much about it. I think people will sit back and notice my work.”
While these are projects she is proud of, there are others that got left behind along the way. “I lost out the opportunity to be part of Slumdog Millionaire because Danny Boyle believed I was a tad too glamorous for the role,” recalls Gauahar. “I was among the final three girls to meet Danny after rounds of auditions. He met me and was even impressed with my acting skills,” she adds. Cut to 2017, Gauhar has been receiving roles that require her to opt for a no make-up look. But that doesn’t mean she’s saying good bye to glam. She has been seen shimmying to item numbers in films such as Ishaqzaade and Kyaa Kool Hai Hum 3 and will continue to take up similar work in the future. “The top actresses are doing it. I think Chikni Chameli and Sheila Ki Jawani are all cool songs. If the banner is right, and the songs are produced well, I would love to take another one up.”
Lastly, the conversation steers towards her relationship status. After her relationship with Kushal Tandon, has she found love? “I am happy being single!” she asserts. “I have been single for a while now and I am getting bored of it. But I have passed that age where things are forced on me. It’s going to be my decision. When the time I right, I will find someone; otherwise it doesn’t matter.”
