Actress Mahie Gill who recently revealed that she has a three-year-old daughter plays the role of a mother to Ragini Khanna and Sayani Gupta in Posham Pa. She has been known for her darker roles in movies like Saheb, Biwi and Gangster, DevD. She has also been a part of popular films like Dabangg, among others. She stars in the movie Posham Pa playing the role of a prostitute, a housemaid as well as a street beggar.
Watch the trailer of Posham Pa to with a bloody scene featuring Mahie Gill here.
Int: So Posham Pa is generally described as a psychological thriller. What is Posham Pa about in a nutshell to you?
Mahie: Well, to me Posham Pa is about these kids who are very innocent. When they get the wrong atmosphere to go up how their innocence is ruined. Because as a kid I played Posham Pa so that is the innocence in this movie too. But how their childhood was ruined which is pretty sad for me.
Int: So what made you say yes to playing the character of a serial killer on Posham Pa?
Mahie: Before I get to the character, I just want to say it was the director. I had been wanting to work with the director Suman da (Suma Mukhopadhyay) for a long time. We had even planned to do a film earlier but that didn’t pan out. Plus the subject, because it was so dark and intense. I was looking for something with layers and all. And this one was about serial killers so I couldn’t say no to it.
Int: So you have played dark characters before. What was different about this one?
Mahie: I have played dark roles before but this is very different. My character is a Maharashtrian which I’ve not done before. Throughout the movie I got from playing a 25-year-old to a 55-year-old. I work with kids as a mother and then with Ragini and Sayani. Also my character is a prostitute but she also works as a maid and begs on the street so there is a lot to work with here.
Int: Since you haven’t played a Maharashtrian woman before did you have to practice the dialect?
Mahie: So we did include a few lines in Marathi. But I couldn’t go all the way because the film needs to appeal to a wider audience too. Also my character is one that doesn’t speak much. She is from the streets and has a lot of anger for the society. So she doesn’t talk much.
Int: Talking about anger. There’s a scene in the trailer where you smash a person’s head with a stone.
Mahie: Oh my God. Let’s not talk about that! (laughs)
Int: So how do you approach such intense scenes in the movie?
Mahie: All the scenes I need to understand what the director is looking for. But then I can switch off from the character after the scene is done. Yet I still have questions like why does all these things have to happen and what we can do to make things better?
Int: Recently, you were trending on social media because you posted about your kid which was a secret earlier.
Mahie: I know right. Feels unnecessary.
Int: So how did playing the role of a mother affect you in your personal life as a mother?
Mahie: It made me be more careful in front of my kid. It made me re-think the way you show aggression in front of your kids, because kids are smart and pick on these things very quickly. So it helped me become a better mother. But also when I used to shoot with young girls I would think about Veronica (daughter) and miss her, you know.
Int: Also since you kept your motherhood a secret for years, what is your opinion on celebrities sharing their personal lives on social media?
Mahie: Well it depends from person to person. I’m an introvert and a private person so I don’t want to share much. A lot of people want to be online all the time. I cannot be that person. I like my zone and don’t like to be all flamboyant.
Int: What was the initial reaction after people found out you were a mother? Did it change your perception?
Mahie: Not at all. A lot of friends called up to congratulate me. Friends who didn’t know I was a mother earlier. None of them asked me why I didn’t inform them earlier. Nothing of that sort happened. Even friends from North Delhi called up and everyone was happy. Nothing negative happened, so I was pretty happy.
Int: What’s next for you? What kind of roles will we see you in soon?
Mahie: All kinds of roles. Posham Pa is quite a dark role. Next I’m doing a comedy movie which is a very interesting film again. Then there’s another webseries that I am doing.
Int: What have you watched on ZEE5?
Mahie: I want to watch Barot House which has the same producer as Posham Pa. Hats off to these producers and ZEE5 for making such unique and brave content. It is not that easy.
Int: Barot House and Posham Pa are both psychological thrillers. Do you think they are in a similar space?
Mahie: Once you watch the film you will know how different it is.
