‘The web has completely redefined the way films work and content is viewed’
She returned to acting after a hiatus of three years with Student of the Year 2 earlier this year, and with the appreciation she has been getting for her role in the web show, The Family Man, Gul Panag says she couldn’t be happier. “I enjoyed playing an Army officer in the show due to my Army background and secondly, I like the directors, (Krishna) DK and Raj (Nidimoru) and their work. We also share a similar world view,” she says.
Having worked in films such as Dhoop (2003), Dor (2006) and Manorama Six Feet Under (2007), Gul reveals that her Nagesh Kukunoor film, Dor, still gets talked about. “Every film comes with its own destiny. I always knew Dor would be a special film. I am surprised that even after all these years, people still love and remember the film. In my first film Dhoop, I worked with stalwarts such as Revathy and (late) Om Puri and for me, it was a defining film. That set the tone of the kind of work I was going to do. I have always chosen roles that offer something to audiences and that is interesting to me. It is important that audiences feels for an actor’s character.”
Talking about the graph of her 16-year-long career, Gul opines, “I look at my career and feel good about it. Today, I have good work and it is the kind of work that I want to be doing. Cinema in particular and content in general are changing. The web platform has completely redefined the way films work and content is viewed.” She will next be seen in Bypass Road with Neil Nitin Mukesh and two web showsPavan and Pooja and Rangbaaz Season 2 co-starring Jimmy Shergill.