ACTRESS Wamiqa Gabbi, whose performance as Chandra in director Arun Matheswaran's superhit film DC has come for praise from both the audiences and critics, says that the character had rescued a part of her that she hadn't met yet and had showed her who she could be. Overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and appreciation coming in for both the film and her performance in it, Wamiqa Gabbi took to Instagram to pen her thoughts on the role. She wrote, "The first time Chandra changed my life, nobody knew her but me. The second time, the world did." Wamiqa then went on to add, "In the film, Daas rescues Chandra… gives her the freedom to discover who she truly is. Somewhere along the way, Chandra did the same for me. She rescued a part of me I hadn’t met yet… and showed me who I could be." The film, which took a strong opening, has been continuing to do well in theatres, even as appreciation for it continues to pour in. Meanwhile, Wamiqa had previously confessed that she did not always have the luxury of choosing projects purely for the roles they offered. During the early years of her career in Punjabi cinema, she took on films at a time when opportunities were limited and keeping herself professionally afloat was important.

 

While some of those projects did not excite her creatively, she chose to do them because, as she put it, there was little else available and“survive toh karna hai naa” — you have to survive. Wamiqa’s Punjabi filmography includes projects such as Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22, Nikka Zaildar 2, Nikka Zaildar 3, Parahuna, Nadhoo Khan and Doorbeen. Over time, however, her career began moving in a different direction, with the actress taking on more layered and challenging parts across languages. Her performances in Jubilee and Khufiya particularly helped establish her as a performer capable of disappearing into complex characters rather than being defined by the industry or language she started in. That evolution is continuing with an increasingly busy line-up. Wamiqa has reportedly joined Prasanth Varma’s Jai Hanuman, the much-awaited sequel to Hanu-Man, with Rishab Shetty playing Lord Hanuman. While details about Wamiqa’s character are being kept under wraps, reports suggest she will be seen in a significant role, with the actress expected to join the Hyderabad schedule soon. The reported casting comes at an interesting point in Wamiqa’s career, following the praise she has received for DC: The Bloody Valentine. From taking on projects simply to keep going to now being sought out for ambitious, largescale films, her journey reflects just how dramatically an actor’s choices can change once the right opportunities begin to come along.