When she arrived in India from South Africa over a decade ago, Gabriella Demetriades tried her hand at acting. She played a villain in Sonali Cable starring Ali Fazal and was also part of a Telugu flick with Nagarjuna. Soon after, Gabriella, who was a successful model, started her own fashion label. The designer, who has been in a relationship with Arjun Rampal for the past five years, embraced motherhood in 2019 after giving birth to their son Arik. She is now gearing up to face the camera again as an actor opposite Arjun in an untitled film.

She tells us, “It all happened very organically after a producer came to discuss the project with Arjun. He met me and offered me a part, which he thought was perfect for me. As a creative person, I don’t want to restrict myself, so I gave it a nod. Having said that, I am not taking a full-fledged plunge into acting. Fashion is my passion, but I’d like to take up any interesting opportunities.”

Talking about her role, Gabriella says, “I will play a British-Indian cop, who is investigating Arjun’s character. His character has a crush on me, so there’s a romantic angle between us, too (laughs).”

Gabriella says, “I will be delivering my dialogues in Hindi and Arjun is helping me with that. He was concerned about me being comfortable in this space. We shot the film in the UK.”

She says that she now feels far more confident in showbiz, compared to the time when she had just stepped in, and her partner Arjun has a huge role to play in that. She shares, “Back when I started, it was all too early for me because I hadn’t been in India for long enough to understand Hindi cinema. I was a young foreigner in the country and didn’t have the know-how. Arjun, being an actor and producer, gave me a different perspective of cinema. This country has been my home for 12 years and everything seems familiar now.”

Now that she has taken a plunge into acting and also runs a fashion label, how does she balance her personal and professional life? “Having an amazing support system works in your favour. Arjun is a hands-on father. He knows we have to make it work as Arik is our priority. He is above everything,” she says.

Having been together for nearly half a decade, has the thought of marriage ever crossed their mind? “It is not some-thing we have intentionally done or not done. In the end, it’s about the level of commitment. We are both so committed to each other in every way that it’s not like there’s a huge need for marriage. We have a son and we are a family. It’s not like I don’t believe in marriage. I think it is amazing. My parents have been married for 30 years and they are like best friends. I have a lot of friends and family that are in a happy marriage and likewise, I have friends and family who are single or in relationships where they don’t necessarily have a title for it. I feel marriage is not a big deal… and who knows… maybe one day we may feel like having a celebration.”