Shehnaaz Gill is celebrating this Diwali with her grandparents in Beas, Punjab. After her grandmother battled cancer and was treated successfully at Chandigarh’s PGIMER last year, Shehnaaz decided to thank the doctors and staff with a gesture at the hospital this Diwali. Excerpts from an exclusive conversation with Shehnaaz in Chandigarh.

I celebrate Diwali every year because I truly feel the symbolism of light on this festival, I feel it brings much needed cheer to the world. I have a very strong belief in spirituality and try my best to manifest good things for not just myself and my dear ones, but for everyone. And festivals are a powerful time for good vibes and manifestations. This year I decided to do my bit to spread some cheer on Diwali by spending time with the staff and patients of PGIMER in Chandigarh. They had made a beautiful rangoli at the hospital and I felt good giving it its finishing touches. Amid all the sadness that illness brings in its wake, doctors and staff stand as a beacon of light with their dedication towards patients.

My weight loss journey was very difficult, and as anyone who has lost a lot of weight will tell you, it requires a lot of focus. The determination to avoid junk food and control food cravings is not easy at all but I achieved all that. I had set that goal for myself, not in competition with others. I was excited to feature in the video of the song Sajna Ve Sajna, which was a remake of the original. The song required a certain look which was possible because of the hard work I had put towards my fitness. I was happy that audiences followed my dance steps and recreated my costume for their own reels.

Good things come to those who wait, and I have tremendous patience. As an artist aspiring for good work, I am waiting for an impactful role to come my way. There are many things I am getting into, besides acting and singing, which I will talk about once those are finalized.

Shehnaaz Gill, who became a popular name after she participated in Bigg Boss 13, made her Bollywood debut last month with Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan starring Salman Khan. And even before her debut film released, the actress bagged her next film.

For someone who’s just stepped into the Hindi film industry, ask Shehnaaz if she is happy with the way her career is shaping up and she says, “Main yeh bolna chahti hoon ki industry open nahi hoti, open karni padti hai. You have to work on yourself…apne aap ko change karke. Mere liye kuch bhi open nahi hai, main jo kar rahi hoon, apni mehnat se kar rahi hoon.”

Shehnaaz started working on herself from the time she was seen on the reality show hosted by Salman. From getting fit, to upping her fashion game and hosting a chat show in which she interviews celebs, this seems to be a new version of the actress.

Shehnaaz explains, “I have always been inspired by myself. Main khud se hiroz inspire hoti hoon. I genuinely feel that if you want to grow in life, then you have to be open to change and work on yourself. Do it day by day... take your time, but introduce that change in yourself because it is important. If you present yourself the way you are and give nothing new to your audience, then they will get bored. Hum public figure hai and if we don’t offer variety to the audience, they will get bored of us.”

And this is exactly what she intends todo. Loved by fans for her bubbly personality, Shehnaaz admits that she has been attending workshops to hone her acting skills. “I have been going for workshops. Aur jaise aapko farak meri styling mein aaj kal dikh raha hai, meri acting mein bhi zaroor dikhai dega bohot jald.”

The actress who’s not supposed to talk about her next project, which also stars Anil Kapoor, says, “It feels good to be working with an artiste of that stature. Even if you share screen for two minutes with them, you get to learn so much. You should always look forward to such learning experiences.”

Shehnaaz Gill remains one of the most popular contestants to have ever emerged from the Bigg Boss house, with videos of her infectiously bubbly persona during her Season 13 stint continuing to go viral even today. From ‘sadda kutta, kutta, tuada kutta Tommy?’ to ‘such a boring day...such a boring people’, Shehnaaz’s one-liners have been ruling social media for a long time now. However, during a recent visit to an NCR retreat centre, we got to see a more sombre side to her. Last year was a turbulent one for the singer-actress, who lost her dear friend and BB13 co-contestant Sidharth Shukla in September. And though she chooses to refrain from speaking about it, she opens up at length about her spiritual journey. Excerpts:

“Actually, jo meri reality hai na, woh bahot pure hai. Mujhe spiritual journey mein bahut zyada interest hai,” Shehnaaz tells us, adding, “Humari life mein mental health important hai and I feel agar hum khush hain, toh hi sab achcha lagta hai. Tabhi hum kaam kar sakte hain. Meri spiritual journey saath mein chal rahi hai.”

Is her interest in spirituality newfound, we ask? “Pehle kam tha, but ab zyaada ho gaya hai. Now I know what meditation is, knowledge ke bina tum kuch nahi ho. I have understood that this is a temporary world and humari spiritual journey kaam aayegi, aur kuch nahi,” she adds.

She continues, “Real world yahi hai, because physical body thodi der ki mehman hoti hai. Hum sabko pata hi nahi hai ki hum kahan se aaye hain. Aap kisi cheez mein interest doge tabhi aapko woh bhi interest dega na? Toh connection banana padhta hai uske liye. Maine woh kiya.”

Shehnaaz adds, “We keep giving time to people around us, but if we learn about positivity and how to live with it, things can get really better.”

Talking about reconciling this spiritual side of her with her lighter, ‘fun’ side that the world is more accustomed to, Shehnaaz says, “Shehnaaz Gill woh toh hai hi, kyunki woh reality hai... aur yeh bhi reality hai. Yeh jo Shehnaaz Gill hai, shayad usse baaki cheezon ki knowledge nahi hai, but usse spiritual world ki bahut knowledge hai. I mean, kaise situations ke saath deal karna hai, kaise strong rehna hai, peace mein rehna, yeh Shehnaaz ko aata hai. Yeh alag duniya hai. Shehnaaz fun bhi karti hai... Shehnaaz woh sab karti hai jo life mein karna chahiye, Shehnaaz enjoy bhi karti hai, and iska yeh matlab nahi hai ki maine sanyas le liya hai. Yeh nahi hai ki main sirf meditation kar rahi hoon baithke... tum achhe kaam karo, achha bolo, achha suno, kisi ko hurt na karo. So, I won’t say these are two people. This is one person, but people don’t necessarily get it because reality logon ko pachti nahi hai.”

Shehnaaz’s fans mean everything to her, and she also took out the time to pose with and greet each one at the retreat. She says, “I am here because of them. Woh mujhe itna support karte hain, mere liye itna time nikalte hain. Mera farz banta hai ki mujhe bhi unhe apna time dena chahiye, na. I feel this is my responsibility. Agar main saamne hoon aur time na doon toh woh galat ho jayega.”

With everything that she does becoming a news story, we ask her if she ever feels overwhelmed by it. She replies, “I am enjoying the moment. Yahi cheez thi, jiske liye main pehle taras rahi thi... ki main kuch banun, ki main kuch aisa karun ki log mujhe dekhein, pasand karein. Tumko har koi toh pasand nahi kar sakta, toh theek hai. Main kuch logon ki favourite list mein hoon, kuch ki nahi. Kya hi problem hai. Jo pyaar karte hain udhar focus karo. It doesn’t bother me.”

Talking about her viral videos, she says, “Socho ke jo log bolte thay ki mujhe bolna nahi aata, mujhe baat nahi karni aati, iska accent kaisa hai... haste thay log. Toh aaj meri wahi strengthban gayi, na? Toh mujhe lagta hai kisi ka mazak nahi udhana chahiye. Aaj mere one-liners pe log video banate hain. But it does not go to my head, because I know main aaj yahan hoon, kal ko kuch bhi ho sakta hai mere saath.” 

She adds, “I will never change. Agar yeh change kardiya maine, toh Shehnaaz Gill mein akad aajayegi na, mujhe down-to-earth rehna hai. Mujhe pata hai life mein kabhi bhi koi paasa palat sakta hai.”

While there are reports of her signing up for Salman Khan’s upcoming film Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali, the actress — who was last seen in the Punjabi film, Honsla Rakh — is yet to comment on them. She tells us, “Mera bas focus hai, jo bhi aaye, achcha aaye but my dreams are big. Acting karni hai, brand ambassador banna hai. Singing bhi karni hai, par pehle acting karni hai.”

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