Manoranjana has given me scope to step into the world of Meena Kumari – Mahie Gill on GOG

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart… Mahie Gill is in elite company. For a filmmaker who has worked with the likes of Sridevi, Kajol, Tabu, Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai, Satish Kaushik decided to rope her in for an author backed part in Gang of Ghosts. Enacting the part of a glamorous ghost of an actress from the 50s – Manoranjana, Mahie is finally finding herself in a light hearted milieu after a series of heavy duty films.

Wasn't a film like Gang of Ghosts long pending, considering you have done relatively serious films like Saheb Biwi aur Gangster and its sequel with Not A Love Story in between?
Yes, it is great to be around with people who make you laugh. I had not tried this genre before and even though I am not doing too much comedy in here, still the film is at least not serious. Yes, one thing which I still want to add is that even in my serious films, I used to chill out. There was never this 'taking the character home' moment. However in Gang of Ghosts I used to take a lot of laughter home since Anupam Kher, Satish Kaushik, Saurabh Shukla – they are all so witty. The fun that we used to have during the film's shoot is memorable.

The film is an ensemble starrer. So how do you make an impression amidst this wide star cast?
Well, I haven't seen the film so I don't know how I come across in there. See, the prime objective of picking Gang of Ghosts was that I wanted to do something like this. Otherwise most of the scripts that come my way have a solo heroine set up. Still, despite an ensemble set up, I picked Gang of Ghosts due to its comic element. After all, I hardly get anything offered in this genre.

The film is produced by Ratan Jain who is known for being a large hearted producer who has worked with the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Anil Kapoor. Was that a deciding factor too?
Please mention it in as many words that he is one of the best producers that I have ever worked with. Itna achcha insaan bhi koyi ho sakta hai, waisa maine nahi socha tha. He doesn't have any airs around him despite being in the industry for over 25 years. His brother Ganesh Jain is also a very humble person. I just want them to make more and more films. They are very good souls.

On the other hand Satish Kaushik is someone who has worked with the likes of Sridevi, Kajol, Tabu, Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai. Was that a high too for you?
(Smiles) How much can I really say here – this is elite company to be a part of. Sridevi is one of the best actors that we have and she is also one of my favorites. Between her and me there is a lot of distance to be covered and hopefully there would be something really substantial that I would be able to bring on screen with Gang of Ghosts. Playing Manoranjana has given me that scope to step into the world of Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Suraiya. It could see that there was a different me during the film's dubbing. Hopefully just references to these greats would have had a rubbing effect upon me during the film.

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more