Mahi Gill and Sonali Kulkarni reveal their secrets on Famously Filmfare

Mahi Gill gets candid on Famously Filmfare Punjabi

Mahi Gill’s problem with herself
“I have a very big problem in my life. I go to the set, work, and after that I disappear. I think I have worked on maximum movies with Jimmy. But when we meet, it’s only on the set, after which I disappear. Then again we meet at promotions. Again, I disappear.”

Mahi Gill was selected in the army!
“I was selected in the army. I always wanted to join the army. I never wanted to become an actor. Didn’t know what a set was. I even went to train at OTA, Chennai. My grandfather was in the army. My mother was a senior lecturer in a college. And she had majored with NCC. So obviously, our family had a disciplined lifestyle. So, when the army selection happened, in those days, there were very few girls who joined the army. At least now, there is awareness. They were selecting NCC girls. So, from all over India, there were supposed to be 16 girls selected. Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Chandigarh make one cadre. So, that’s where I was selected from. My command was very good but my signaling was very weak. Even today, I’m weak with gadgets. I was better in other domains. Towards the end, there were two girls in the competition. There’s just the two of us in the competition, and one of us would be selected. The last question they asked was, ‘If you are to fight Pakistan or some enemy, would you solve it by means of peace or using guns?’ The other girl naively said, ‘I would like to initiate peace.’ And I said, ‘I will fire the gun’ They said ‘Alright, if you want to initiate peace, head to a beauty pageant. And if you want to fight, then come with us.’ That’s how I was selected”

Mahi Gill’s relationship status
“I’m in a relationship. It’s been many years. And, I’m very happy”

Mahi Gill’s real name isn’t Mahi!
“It’s Rimpy. What happened was that after I was born, one of mother’s student gave me a pet name, Rimpy. So, that was my pet name. In Punjab, you have proper name and nicknames. So, my brothers changed their names. I went to the hospital but I didn’t get the time to change my name. I kept thinking that I’ll change to this name, that name. But then it wasn’t changed. Rimpy doesnt have any meaning. They wanted to change my name. But, before it was changed, I finished high school. They still didn’t change it. That chance was missed too.”

Sonali Kulkarni shares her secrets on Famously Filmfare Marathi

Sonali Kulkarni troubled her brothers!
“I was very mischievous and I have harassed my brothers a lot. But they have pampered me a lot. The love among us was not typical.”

When Sonali Kulkarni ran to receive her award. Literally!
“I was shooting at Mahabaleshwar or Panchgani and I received a call from someone. I came to know that the Filmfare Awards were to be held the next day and I would have to go to Mumbai. A car was booked. I was told to go to Mumbai and not halt at Pune. My entire family reached Mumbai. I had come all the way from Mahabaleshwar. Think about it. I was travelling the whole day. I changed my clothes and I was on my way. We had reached Juhu. At a little distance from the Aeroplane Garden from Santacruz there was a traffic jam. Traffic had come to a standstill. It was probably because a crowd had gathered to see the film stars. The traffic wasn’t moving. And I had worn a sharara that day. I picked it up, took my shoes in hands. Sandesh was with me and we ran all the way to SNDT. That’s how I reached the venue of the Filmfare Awards. Namrata Shirodkar was hosting the show that year. I reached there and told them that I am Sonali Kulkarni. Namrata saw me backstage and asked me ‘Where were you? Your name was announced a minute ago and you’ve received the award. I was not able to receive the award personally.”

Here’s how Sonali Kulkarni got cast in Dil Chahta Hai
“It’s very dramatic. Someone dropped my photograph and Zoya saw it. She was casting for ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. She liked the photograph and thought of asking me. So, Zoya asked me if I could come for a look test. I agreed to it immediately. I had already done Mission Kashmir and Pyar Tune Kya Kiya. Zoya called me for Dil Chahta Hai. I had a lot of fun. The first scene itself was so amazing. She told me to do the first scene. She said, ‘Imagine that you’re at someone’s house and the house is all messed up.’ We laughed a lot. I went to the office of Excel and auditioned for the role. I came back happily from there and I liked Zoya so much. And even now, I feel that Zoya, Farhan and Riteish have incredible love for their medium”

The one director Sonali Kulkarni is dying to work with
– “Zoya Akhtar”