Jubilee fame Wamiqa Gabbi: "I was told I got rejected for the role of Niloufer" [Exclusive]

Vikramaditya Motwane's Jubilee is the stellar blockbuster that is expected to sweep away all the major awards this season. With a cast that boasts of some phenomenal work, the show has received thumbs up from both critics and audience. While the entire star cast has made fans go gaga, it was Wamiqa Gabbi who has proved out to be a revelation.

The actress has earlier been a part of many Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu films. Wamiqa who has also worked in OTT shows like – Aai, Modern Love, Grahan and more; has made the audience stand upright and take notice of the talent she is in this classic. International Business Times, India, got in touch with the actress to talk about how she bagged the role, improvisations, her favourite character and more.

From the first call, audition process to the first day on shoot; please tell us about your journey of bagging the role of Niloufar.

I auditioned for the part and I was informed that I was shortlisted. And soon after I had to do another round of audition with our director and also a look test. But then I was told that I got rejected. This was before covid, and then the pandemic hit. Months went by and I remember Aparshakti messaged me and asked me if I was doing the role of Niloufer and I told him that I wasn't picked for the part. He told me that I should call or message Vikram Sir and he said that everyone in the cast felt that I was perfect for the role.

And that's what I did. I messaged him on Instagram. He gave me time to meet again and even before I could meet him, I got a call from the casting team, that you're locked in for Niloufar. I honestly was like, 'really'? He told me they all wanted me for the part, and now Vikram sir was convinced too. So it was a very full circle moment and experience for me. Vikram sir only told me during the promotions last month that during covid lockdown, he started following me on Instagram and saw all my reels. He told me that he found me funny and that's when he was convinced that I was perfect for the role.

Are you completely a director's actor?

Well, I think everybody should be a director's actor. The director is the captain of the ship. He is the one who has everything in his mind about the whole project and has the complete vision. As an actor, I'm supposed to only take care of my character, but he's the one who's looking at the larger picture. So obviously, I think there needs to be a very strong relationship between an actor and a director. And when both are on the same page, all inputs, all advisors, all the ideas, it all falls into place nicely. So I think every actor needs to be a director's actor and every director needs to be an actor's director for sure.

How much is the scope for improvisation on Vikramaditya Motwane's sets?

He is very free like that. We did several workshops and a lot of clarity was received during the workshops but being on set if one wanted to improvise, he's always open to that. And if that's something that works for him, he would always give a go ahead.

Tell us about the part you improvised and how?

One scene that is at the top of my mind is the scene where Jai and I are in the car and I am going for the audition. He then asks me 'Tum Waliya ke saath kyun ho?' and I say 'Unki zaroorat main hu aur meri zaroorat hai paisa'. So, I did improvise on that scene and I enacted it for Vikram sir and he really liked it. So whatever small improvisations I did in that scene that you see, even the over exaggerated audition that I was doing, was my own little spin. But throughout there were very subtle few things that we did improvise on. Otherwise, the script was so good that it didn't need much of that.

Out of all the prominent characters of the show, which one is your most and which one is your least favourite character.

My favorite is Jai because I think Niloufar really connected with him and there were beautiful scenes between them. And Jai's character also has a beautiful journey like Niloufar obviously. I think their journey was shown in a more detailed way and my least favorite is Jai again because he leaves me in the end (laughs).

There was a quirk and spark in your role. Was it the brief that was given to you or did you imbibe it yourself?

I mean, when I read the script, I understood that this girl has something about her, a unique spark. Niloufar's journey is a roller coaster with a lot of ups and downs. But, she takes everything in her stride and deals with things head on. And for her, dancing, singing is just a way to escape from the world. When I understood her quirks, the rest flowed on its own. And also, in the writing itself one gets an understanding that this girl is not like someone who'll be a damsel in distress or, you know, she would worry about things that are not in her control.

Did you look up to someone or sought advice for playing this role?

Well, we already had our teachers with us, Vikas Sir who was basically our dialect coach and Jogi Sir who did a workshops with us and Rachit who helped me understand Niloufar. So obviously I took help from these beautiful talented people and Vikram Sir and Atul Sir. But I think once I understood Niloufar, it was pretty much clear to me how I was going to play her out. But I did see a lot of old 40s or 50s music videos and films, just to understand how these actors used to understand their body language better.