Actress Priya Gill began her career with ABCL Corporation's film Tere Mere Sapne opposite Chandrachur Singh. However, it was the success of Sirf Tum that brought her fame. The magic of Sirf Tum's success led to her becoming Shah Rukh Khan's heroine in the next film, Josh. Although Priya worked in many South Indian films, she didn’t achieve the same level of success as she did with Sirf Tum. Lehren had a special conversation with Priya Gill at the peak of her career. In the interview, Priya made a significant revelation about her experience working in Josh with Shah Rukh Khan, as well as her most embarrassing career moment. Let’s revisit this flashback interview in Lehren’s latest podcast. #priyagill #sirftum #shahrukhkhan
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00:00I can speak in Punjabi. In fact, I don't think I have ever spoken Punjabi in my life.
00:18We had a nice time, the three of us together. And then we had Jaya ji with us.
00:23And I think the success of this film, by God's grace, most of the thing goes to the hard work of the actors.
00:30I won't just say I'm a die-hard fan because fans are only related to the acting side.
00:35I've always liked Shah Rukh. When I was studying, I used to watch him on television.
00:40He used to come in this serial and then he became a huge star.
00:43After that, the song starts. Tension I felt. And how cool he was about the whole thing.
00:48And I think that it was very sweet of him to really understand that I made such a big faux pas.
01:02Okay, so Priya, we're going to come to GI Anu in just a moment.
01:05But first, I want to know about your childhood. Now, you are a pakka Punjabi, right?
01:09Yep.
01:10Pakki Punjabi.
01:11Pakki.
01:12Where were you born?
01:13I was born in Delhi.
01:14Delhi.
01:15Yes.
01:16Okay. Have you ever lived in Punjab?
01:17No, unfortunately, never stayed in the Punjab.
01:21No, never at all?
01:22No, never.
01:23But your father was in the army and you were travelling throughout India.
01:26No, actually, yeah, once he was posted there. But, you know, I was in hostel at the time.
01:29So, I used to only come for my vacations.
01:31I actually never had the opportunity to really, you know, live the typical, typical way.
01:39Punjabi life.
01:40Punjabi life, yeah.
01:41Because we just moved so much in the country.
01:45But I can't say that I really miss it because, you know, your home is anywhere.
01:50You have so much of Punjabi anywhere at home.
01:52So, you don't really miss it.
01:54Except that I just never got to study it.
01:57So, my only thing is that I can't read it, you know.
01:59That's my only reason for feeling so.
02:01Otherwise, everything else is pretty normal.
02:04But you can speak fluently in Punjabi?
02:06Can you speak in Punjabi?
02:11I like that, okay. That proves it.
02:15So, we will speak in Punjabi for our Punjabi audience.
02:18Okay.
02:19Tell us.
02:20I can speak in Punjabi.
02:22In fact, I have spoken in Punjabi all my life.
02:26I don't think I have spoken in Punjabi all my life.
02:29You speak beautiful Punjabi.
02:32Okay, tell us a joke in Punjabi.
02:35A joke in Punjabi?
02:36Yes.
02:41That's a tough one.
02:42That's a tough one.
02:43Then you are not a true Punjabi.
02:45A joke in Punjabi.
02:46Okay, I will tell you.
02:49Once, there was a meeting.
02:51There were three people.
02:53Internationally known.
02:54One was Gorbachev.
02:56One was Zaheel Singh.
02:58And one was Reagan.
03:01Ronald Reagan.
03:03After the meeting was over,
03:05the hostess came and asked,
03:08what would you like to have for tea?
03:10Everyone said, tea, tea, tea.
03:12So, everyone had tea.
03:14When the tea was over,
03:16you know how they put a cup on the saucer?
03:19Everyone had tea.
03:21Someone picked up the saucer.
03:23Someone kept it straight.
03:25So, Zaheel Singh thought, what should I do now?
03:28So, what did he do?
03:30He kept the cup on the saucer.
03:33When the girl came,
03:35she saw the cup on the saucer.
03:37She asked for more tea.
03:39The cup that was on the saucer,
03:41she picked it up.
03:43Zaheel Singh's cup was on the saucer.
03:45She said, sir, what does this mean?
03:47He said, if you have it, give it to me.
03:49If you don't have it, give it to me.
03:52Very good.
03:53You speak very beautiful Punjabi.
03:55She kept it on the saucer.
03:57Very nice.
04:00Very village type of Punjabi,
04:02you're speaking.
04:04Excellent.
04:05I think it's so broken.
04:06I think it's horrible.
04:07I should really do something about it.
04:09You're the first person on Lehre
04:11who's told a joke.
04:12Yes.
04:13Congratulations.
04:14You should get an award.
04:15Lehre joke award.
04:16Excellent.
04:17That was very unplanned.
04:19I pulled that on her totally.
04:21She handled it so well.
04:23You never really stayed in Punjab.
04:25Which are the other cities in India
04:26that you traveled to when you were small?
04:29I traveled actually all over the country,
04:31but I never got to stay in Rajasthan.
04:35I've never stayed in Rajasthan
04:36because my dad was only posted there
04:39before I was born.
04:41That's the only state where I can say
04:43I didn't really stay.
04:44That's normally the first state
04:45that people go to visit in India.
04:47I visited it, but you know,
04:49staying makes it a completely different experience.
04:51Yes.
04:52Everywhere where we stayed,
04:53even in the south,
04:54when my father was posted in Sikandarabad,
04:56when you go to school,
04:57you have this thing,
05:00you like to exchange tiffins,
05:02and your friends like to eat the Punjabi food,
05:04and you like to eat the south Indian food,
05:06and you have all this.
05:07You learn so much about the culture.
05:09You learn so much.
05:10In fact, one of the things
05:11which really helped me
05:12during the making of Tere Mere Sapne
05:13was that,
05:14because I played a typical south Indian
05:19Arya family Brahmin girl.
05:21In Tere Mere Sapne,
05:22which was your first break.
05:23Yeah.
05:24Right, opposite Chandrachund Singh.
05:25That's right.
05:26But I think,
05:27you know the fact that
05:28we moved around so much,
05:29and I had friends from everywhere,
05:31and you have exposure
05:33to so many diverse cultures.
05:34Right.
05:35That really helps,
05:36because you adapt very fast to things,
05:39and I think,
05:41you pick up these nitty gritties, you know.
05:43So, okay, now,
05:44so can you speak a south Indian language?
05:46I can say,
05:48Ipdi Irkenge.
05:49Ipdi Irkenge.
05:50That means, how are you,
05:51and if you say, fine, thank you,
05:53you say, Nala Irke.
05:54So it's like,
05:55Nala Irke Maa.
05:56What is it?
05:57Nala Irke Maa.
05:58Nala Irke Maa.
05:59Yeah.
06:00And when you say, thank you,
06:01you say, Nandri.
06:02Nandri.
06:03Nandri.
06:04Nandri.
06:05Yeah.
06:06Actually,
06:07there are a lot of things you pick up,
06:08you know.
06:09That's right.
06:10For getting across,
06:11I mean,
06:12you'll manage with broken sentences.
06:13No,
06:14a little birdie told me,
06:15that you can sing in south Indian,
06:16in Tamil as well.
06:17Can you?
06:18No, no, no.
06:19One song.
06:20One line,
06:21it'll be so much fun.
06:23I have to hear this.
06:24I have to hear this.
06:25I did this film,
06:26actually,
06:27in Malayalam,
06:28I did it with Priyan.
06:29And,
06:30my first day shooting,
06:31in that film,
06:32was with this song.
06:33So that song,
06:34I sort of got stuck,
06:35but I'm sure,
06:36when I say something,
06:37I won't say it wrong.
06:38You have to,
06:39you have to.
06:40So I mustn't do it.
06:41No, no,
06:42you have to,
06:43one line,
06:44I have to hear this.
06:45This will be another
06:46first on layering.
06:47Okay,
06:48now no one laughs,
06:49and I hope the camera
06:50doesn't fall.
06:51Otherwise,
06:52I'll be very serious.
07:07I'm very bad.
07:10Can I laugh now?
07:11It sounds so different.
07:12Actually,
07:13Malayalam is,
07:14it's,
07:15it's,
07:16it's,
07:17it's something which
07:18I haven't really sung
07:19for quite a while.
07:20But this is a song
07:21which has really
07:22stayed with me,
07:23because it spoke of
07:24the beauty of Kerala,
07:25and it spoke of the nature.
07:26And,
07:27you know,
07:28my character in the film,
07:29she's,
07:30she's praising
07:31the whole village,
07:32and she's showing off
07:33to this person
07:34when he comes
07:35to the village.
07:36So,
07:37this song has
07:38stayed with me,
07:39but I'm sure
07:40it was horrible.
07:41No, it's beautiful.
07:42Edit, edit, edit.
07:43Oh my gosh,
07:44no, but Kerala is,
07:45I think,
07:46one of the most
07:47beautiful cities,
07:48states in India.
07:49It's a beautiful country,
07:50isn't it?
07:51Yeah, but,
07:52you know,
07:53I feel there's so much
07:54in India,
07:55which has not been
07:56really shown on camera,
07:57and whatever has been,
07:58also has been very
07:59limited to a certain state.
08:00There's so much
08:01which we haven't
08:02really gone to
08:03in depth,
08:04and,
08:05you know,
08:06taken it on camera.
08:07Like,
08:08which are the places
08:09you think have not
08:10been explored?
08:11I think the east,
08:12the east part of India
08:13is not being.
08:14But that's because
08:15of tension.
08:16Yeah, because of tensions.
08:17But, you know,
08:18there are places
08:19which are beautiful,
08:20but you don't really
08:21hear of them.
08:22I mean,
08:23if you say Sikkim,
08:24or you say West Bengal,
08:25you know,
08:26people just know of
08:27Darjeeling.
08:28Nobody knows of Kalimpong.
08:29Nobody knows of these,
08:30like the Tista River,
08:31you know.
08:32The chocolates are
08:33really famous over there.
08:34Not chocolates,
08:35I think it's lollipop.
08:36Anything associated
08:37with food.
08:38Whatever it is,
08:39it's forbidden.
08:40Too high calorie.
08:41So,
08:42it's,
08:43there's so many places.
08:44Have you,
08:45have you been posted there?
08:46Have you stayed in that site?
08:47Yes.
08:48Because,
08:49because of being,
08:50him being in the services,
08:51you know,
08:52you get to travel so much.
08:53And you,
08:54you get to do
08:55all these things.
08:56Like,
08:57I remember when we went
08:58to the sugar sector once,
08:59that's above Simla.
09:00And, you know,
09:01we used to,
09:02we were,
09:03now this is something
09:04which should not be
09:05on camera,
09:06because we used to
09:07stop the car,
09:08and get down,
09:09and, you know,
09:10climb on the trees,
09:11and get these plums,
09:12and they were
09:13as big as apples.
09:14Plum chor?
09:15Plum chor.
09:16And,
09:17you know,
09:18they have these,
09:19the many places
09:20which are like village-like,
09:21and you're still connected
09:22to sides of the river,
09:23just by those
09:24old-fashioned pulleys,
09:25you know.
09:26Wow.
09:27So,
09:28you just sit into
09:29those box-like things,
09:30and then you get pulled
09:31on the other side.
09:32Oh, wow.
09:33That sounds like fun.
09:34Yeah.
09:35So,
09:36I had a very adventurous.
09:37India is so beautiful.
09:38India is fabulous.
09:39I think it's fabulous.
09:40So diverse.
09:41You have so much,
09:42every time you travel,
09:43you realize that
09:44you want to go back
09:45but you realize
09:46when you go somewhere else
09:47that you haven't seen that,
09:48and, you know,
09:49that's equally beautiful.
09:50So,
09:51I really loved it.
09:52I, in fact,
09:53enjoyed the entire time
09:54we got to see
09:55Leh-Ladakh,
09:56and I remember
09:57there was this girl,
09:58you know,
09:59she ran up
10:00on this mountain,
10:01and if you go
10:02to this lake over there,
10:03it was one of the highest
10:04lakes in the world,
10:05it's tough to breathe
10:06because of the altitude.
10:07Right.
10:08This kid,
10:09she just ran up,
10:10you know,
10:11and I was, like,
10:12thinking,
10:13okay,
10:14you know,
10:15and you can't take
10:16two steps without
10:17starting to feel that,
10:18but they are so
10:19acclimatized to that,
10:20you know,
10:21but it was really
10:22good fun.
10:23This is during
10:24the shooting of
10:25which film?
10:26This is during
10:27the traveling
10:28with my parents.
10:29Oh,
10:30okay,
10:31okay,
10:32this is when
10:33you were young,
10:34oh,
10:35when you were a child.
10:36Wow,
10:37okay,
10:38well,
10:39she seems to be
10:40a true Indian.
10:41Yes,
10:42true Indian.
10:43It's your responsibility
10:44to talk more
10:45about your
10:46filmy career.
10:47So,
10:48how was it
10:49working with
10:50Rocky Tendulkar Singh?
10:51I always found him
10:52to be a very
10:53earthy actor.
10:54We had a nice
10:55time,
10:56the three of us
10:57together,
10:58and then we
10:59had Jayaji
11:00with us,
11:01and I think
11:02the success
11:03of this film,
11:04by God's grace,
11:05most of the
11:06thing goes to
11:07the hard work
11:08of the actors
11:09and of course
11:10the blessings
11:11of Mrs. Bachchan.
11:12So,
11:13it's a
11:14great
11:15tribute
11:16for anybody
11:17to get.
11:18And then,
11:19Josh,
11:20opposite Shah Rukh,
11:21that was,
11:22how was it
11:23working suddenly
11:24with someone
11:25so senior?
11:26Yeah,
11:27that was like,
11:28I don't know
11:29whether you
11:30know,
11:31but I'm like,
11:32I won't just
11:33say I'm a
11:34diehard fan,
11:35because fans
11:36are only related
11:37to the acting
11:38side.
11:39I've always
11:40liked Shah Rukh.
11:41But you know,
11:42you never think
11:43that one day
11:44you're going
11:45to be with
11:46this guy,
11:47and I was
11:48totally in
11:49awe of him,
11:50and I was
11:51like,
11:52suppose I do
11:53something wrong
11:54and he's such
11:55a huge star,
11:56what's he going
11:57to do,
11:58and what's
11:59he going
12:00to say,
12:01and you have
12:02all these
12:03doubts coming
12:04in.
12:05But he was
12:06so sweet
12:07throughout
12:08the making,
12:09and I
12:10was so
12:11impressed
12:12with him,
12:13and the
12:14song,
12:15the beginning
12:16of the song,
12:17the beginning
12:18of the song.
12:19Did you really
12:20slap him?
12:21And you know,
12:22we were doing
12:23this repeated
12:24thing in Goa,
12:25and Mansoor
12:26kept telling me,
12:27no Priya,
12:28it's not
12:29coming with
12:30this kind
12:31of force
12:32that the
12:33girl is mad
12:34at him,
12:35and I was
12:36like,
12:37yeah,
12:38okay,
12:39and I think
12:40there was
12:41spin drop
12:42silence
12:43completely,
12:44everybody just,
12:45you know,
12:46the camera
12:47kept rolling,
12:48I think the
12:49director forgot
12:50to say cut
12:51because of
12:52the reaction.
12:53I remember
12:54KV telling me,
12:55KV was the
12:56cameraman,
12:57he was telling
12:58me,
12:59girls are
13:00going to hate
13:01you because
13:02you've hit
13:03Shah Rukh
13:04Khan.
13:05So how
13:06many takes
13:07did you have
13:08to make?
13:09And he was
13:10explaining it
13:11to me how
13:12it should be
13:13done right,
13:14and I didn't
13:15know what
13:16to say.
13:17And after
13:18that,
13:19the song
13:20starts.
13:21So imagine
13:22how much
13:23of tension
13:24I felt,
13:25and how
13:26cool he was
13:27about the
13:28whole thing,
13:29and I think
13:30that it
13:31was very
13:32sweet of him
13:33to really
13:34understand that
13:35I made
13:36such a
13:37mistake.
13:38You felt
13:39it was
13:40too hard?
13:41Yeah,
13:42I think
13:43it was
13:44too hard.
13:45I think
13:46it was
13:47like a
13:48real whack.
13:49I think
13:50that was
13:51really embarrassing.
13:52Oh no.
13:53But it's
13:54okay,
13:55I mean,
13:56the film
13:57did well,
13:58so all's
13:59well that
14:00ends well.