Gauahar Khan on shedding the Bigg Boss tag: ‘I want my name in consideration when they talk about good actors’

Actor Gauahar Khan will soon be seen in the upcoming thriller Bestseller. The Amazon Original series sees her play Mayanka Kapoor, wife of Arjan Bajwa’s character Tahir Wazir, who is a down on luck novelist facing attacks from an unknown enemy. The actor chats with us about the show, feeling secure in her body of work and how she managed to shed the ‘Bigg Boss fame’ tag.

In times when thrillers on OTT are a dime a dozen, Gauahar believes Bestseller will be able to hold its own. “I think Bestseller will probably turn the tide for that because over here, you won’t be able to figure out anything. It’s written so beautifully,” she says.

Apart from Arjan, in Bestseller, Gauahar is sharing screen space with a strong cast including Mithun Chakraborty and Shruti Haasan. But the actor has no insecurity about being part of an ensemble cast. She says, “I never take a project where I’m unsure about my space or my footing. No matter what the length of the role is. My endeavour is always to be of utmost impact to the overall plot, and when people finish the show or the film, they should remember my character the most. I am a very secure actor so for me, being a part of an ensemble is never about who is going to overshadow me on screen.”

In a previous interview, she called her character Mayanka in Bestseller her ‘dream role’. But the actor has more roles on her wish list. She says, “I would love to do a role like Erin Brockovich, where she was completely in charge of everything happening. She was solving a mystery, she was part of a real-life movement, she was a mother. I think on the path. Eventually it is going to be all about me in a film or a project, which I’m hoping happens soon. I love Priyanka Chopra’s role in Barfi. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime role. So, anything where I have to challenge myself and push myself out of the box. “

The actor says she feels she is on the right path with the kind of roles she is getting. One of the signs of that is even though she is a past winner (season 7) of arguably India’s most popular reality show Bigg Boss, she has been able to shed the ‘Bigg Boss fame’ tag. Gauahar credits it to the opportunities she got. “I can’t take credit for anything that happened in my life because it is all a greater plan. I feel I am extremely fortunate that I have got those opportunities. People see that potential in me, right from Jhalak Dikhla Jaa to Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year and then going from one project to another. My goal is that when a director or casting director is looking at good actors, my name is in consideration,” she says.

Also read: Bestseller trailer: Mithun Chakraborty hunts Twitter troll attacking Shruti Haasan, Arjan Bajwa. Watch

A recent report claimed that among Gauahar’s future projects is a reality show with husband Zaid Darbar, adding that the duo has been approached for Star Plus’ new show Smart Jodi. When we mention it to Gauahar, she is baffled. “I don’t know where this rumour is coming from considering I don’t even know the TV show that people are talking about,” she says, adding, “If there is something that Zaid and I are doing, I’m sure we will put it out whenever we do it. But, I don’t know the show you are talking about. We have not been offered any such show.”

Apart from Gauahar, Mithun, Arjan, and Shruti, Bestseller also stars Satyajeet Dubey and Sonalee Kulkarni. Produced by Siddharth Malhotra’s Alchemy Production LLP and directed by Mukul Abhyankar, the show begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video on February 18.