Mahie Gill on doing few films: I need money but I won’t go about doing just anything

She made her Bollywood debut with the critically-acclaimed film, Dev D (2009) and followed it up with more strong roles in films such as Gulaal (2009), Not a Love Story (2011) and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster (2011). And actor Mahie Gill, who was recently active in the Punjabi film industry, is returning to Bollywood with Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Saheb Biwi Aur Gansgter 3. In a freewheeling chat, the actor opens up about doing fewer films, the kind of roles she has rejected and why she’s not ready to talk about her relationship.

It’s after a hiatus that you’re doing a mainstream Hindi film. Why don’t we see you more often?

I’d love to do more work but I don’t get the right kind of scripts. Producers are like ‘Okay, itna paisa de denga, yeh kaam kar lo’. But, I can’t. I don’t want to go on the set disinterested. I don’t want to waste people’s money and time. Whatever film someone is making, it’s their baby and they are putting their money and effort in it. But I don’t want to be a part of it.

What exactly are these roles that you’re not interested in?

All those clichéd roles! I did a bold role in Dev D, and even in Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, I play an independent woman. But people perceive it some other manner. They come to me and say, ‘We are making a film on red light areas; so aise karna hai.’ All these scripts come to me. I need to earn money but I won’t go about doing just anything. I’m a very satisfied person in that way.

So, you’ve been rejecting a lot of work?

Yes; mostly during last to last year. Of late, I’m not meeting many people. I’m just figuring out kaun achhe log hain, ya mujhe kiska body of work achha lagta hai. I’d love to work with newcomers but at the same time, their scripts are not very good.

Has it been relatively tough for you to make a mark in Bollywood?

I’m quite lazy in the sense that I don’t know how to go up to people and say that I want work. I’m shy and the kind of roles that I portray on screen, are very different from what I am. I want to do good work but I’m not getting that.

On the personal front, you’ve never really talked about your seven-year-long relationship. Why?

It’s because my partner doesn’t want me to reveal it and I respect that. He wants us to stay quiet for sometime but very soon we will come out in open. I know it’s tough to hide and thankfully, nobody has tried to dig out much because I don’t think I’m in that zone right now. My close friends know everything about my life. But, yes, I want to come out in open, which I will very soon do and that’s going to be about a lot of things — work and personal life. I’m just buying time.

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