Shehnaaz Gill says Salman Khan giving her film break doesn’t mean ‘everything’s sorted’: ‘If you are an outsider, dhakke khaane padhte hain’

“I had told Salman sir, in the first week itself, that I don’t want the trophy, I just want to work with him in his film. Maybe he remembered that,” Shehnaaz tells indianexpress.com ahead of her Bollywood debut Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. The action comedy is scheduled to release on April 21.

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Acting was Shehnaaz’s childhood dream, so naturally the anticipation of the big Friday is already making her feel like she’s “flying high”. But the dream come true moment wasn’t without hiccups. The Punjab-born and raised actor says her journey in films actually started with a hurtful rejection, which had pushed her to tears early on in her career.

“When I look back, I feel destiny can change anytime. How foolish is it to call someone on set and then reject them. If you want to reject, do it before, not when the person is already there. They said, ‘Oh she is a kid, how can we take her.’ It hurt me. Now when they would listen to this… Main haath nahi aani (you can’t catch me now), ab toh main bohot badi hogayi hu, apni nazron mein (I have become big in my own eyes). Today I feel rejections should be accepted, it’s ok.”

Shehnaaz Gill says her big realisation today is that acting isn’t an “easy” job, as many people think of it. It demands dedication, hard work, passion and above all, the will to never give up, especially if one is an outsider. “People casually say, ‘We want to be an actor’. There are so many women, people who feel it is easy but it is not. It is a difficult task, it requires tremendous hard work to enter the industry. Bohot dhakke khaane padege agar tum outsider ho toh (you have to face many hurdles if you are an outsider). If you have the talent, if you are unique, then you can go ahead. My personality was unique, so main nikal gayi (I could move forward).”

Shehnaaz particularly credits her Bigg Boss journey as life changing. She wouldn’t get her debut Bollywood film with Salman, the love and her fandom, if she didn’t participate on the show, which she dubs her “auspicious beginning”.

“If I had not gone to the show, you wouldn’t be interviewing me either. That show gave me a huge platform and my reality has made me who I am. Through the show, I also got to know a lot about myself, that this is how I react. You do learn a lot. The love wasn’t overnight. I worked really hard. I was on Bigg Boss for four months, and people connected with my reality. It’s really hard to live in that house, you do really get tortured there. I was fortunate that people liked me, my reality.”

Post Bigg Boss, Shehnaaz managed to turn her love into a solid fan following. A mention of her name in a tweet guarantees reach and a certain virality. The actor says she is aware of the overwhelming adulation and also looks at her fans for “feedback”.

“I take their feedback, read what they say. They give a lot of feedback on my styling! They tell my makeup and hair staff how it should be! Like my hair stylists keep telling me to do this, not to repeat that. I love doing my hair in a bun, so whenever I ask them to do it, they tell me, ‘Mam please don’t do it, we will get abuses from your fans.’ I tell them but I like it, I find it comfortable, but they say, ‘Please don’t do this, it is a request!'”

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But with such fame at an early stage of her career, does she fear how to retain it? Shehnaaz Gill says she isn’t bogged down by popularity or even by negativity, whenever it comes her way.

“I don’t fear this fame though. Those who want to leave you, will definitely go. My brother is here, he has to go to Punjab now. I asked him to stay back for the premiere of my film but he said he has some work to do. If he doesn’t have love for me, he will leave before Friday. If he does love me, he will stay. All of us are travelers… I get a lot of love, so I am really happy. I do get affected with negativity, for like 10 minutes. But then I ask myself why am I getting affected. So I shift focus from that. I have a lot to do anyway other than focus on negativity.”

After Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan opens to the world, Shehnaaz says her hustle will continue and perhaps increase. Getting a Salman Khan film isn’t the only milestone, what one makes of that opportunity is what matters. Post this Friday, Shehnaaz says her career will be defined by the choices she makes and how much she is willing to push herself.

“My journey is in my hands. It is on me how much I want to work on myself, what do I really want to do in life, the kind of characters I want to play. I have a long way to go. I will get films if I work hard on myself. Not that Salman sir has given me an entry, so everything is sorted. It is completely a lie if people believe that entry mil gayi hai Bollywood mein toh ab ye rising star (that I am a rising star just because I have gotten an entry in Bollywood).

“I wish I continue like this, but I am aware I have to work hard. It isn’t that I got a start with sir, got a Bollywood film and now offers will keep flowing. Today, talent is appreciated, and only talented people get opportunities. The world has become smarter today,” she adds.