Shehnaaz Gill’s entry into Hindi cinema came with the momentum of Bigg Boss 13, but she now says the roles that followed did not let audiences see the actor she believes she is. In an interview with The Times of India, Gill was candid about the choices she made after fame arrived.
The admission
“I picked up projects in haste initially,” Gill said, and did not do “impactful roles.” She added, “Maine script choose karne mein hurry kar di.” If she had made better script choices earlier, she said, the audience would have seen her differently.
Her benchmark for a role is now simple: the film should give her something to do. If there is nothing, the exercise is pointless, and an audience that buys a ticket for a known face should not leave disappointed.
The language question
Gill also pointed to a structural reason for the small number of Hindi film offers. “I think there is a language barrier when it comes to me in Bollywood,” she said, adding that makers have not yet seen the actor she can be. She expects that to change once they do.
On the visibility of actors from the South in Hindi cinema, she took a long view: they are working, she noted, and the industry salutes the rising sun. Her response: the sun from Punjab will rise in Mumbai.
What she does not regret
Her Hindi debut, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, remains an exception. Gill called it a fun film and said she was happy to work with Salman Khan. According to Gill, Khan gave her a clear instruction after that film: take up impactful roles. She called it good advice.
Punjabi work and a tighter filter
Gill has not stepped away from Punjabi cinema. She headlined and produced Ikk Kudi, released in 2025, and was more recently seen in Singh vs Kaur 2 alongside Gippy Grewal.
That body of work now sits next to a deliberate change in approach:
- The problem: early Hindi roles were chosen in haste.
- The barrier: she believes language has kept some makers away.
- The correction: be more selective and less easily available.
Gill said she has become “a little less easily available now,” and wants audiences to buy a ticket in a cinema hall instead of finding her everywhere.
Why this matters
For followers of Hindi cinema, these comments mark a shift from the volume-and-visibility playbook that often follows reality-show fame to a more selective, film-first identity. The measure of the strategy will be whether filmmakers respond with roles that give her the screen time and complexity she is asking for.
Source: The Times of India
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