My Miss India tag has been a stumbling block: Gul Panag

Gul Panag says she always wanted to do meaty roles in films, but her Miss India crown proved to be a stumbling block as many filmmakers thought beauty queens could only sing and dance on screen.

"My Miss India tag has often been a deterrent for me since I did not take a conventional route to Bollywood and the kind of roles I've done or wish to do are not just about dancing around trees," Panag told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

"A lot of times, because of my beauty pageant win, filmmakers thought I won't be able to carry off an intense role and will be only suitable for singing and dancing," she said. "So it was not easy for me."

Panag began her tryst with Bollywood with offbeat films like Dhoop (2003) and Jurm (2005), but it was her role as Zeenat in Nagesh Kukunoor's critically acclaimed 2006 film Dor that established her as a talented actress.

Her performance in the thriller Manorama Six Feet Under the following year also earned her rave reviews.

Panag's next project is Straight — Ek Tedhi Medhi Love Story, in which she acts opposite Vinay Pathak. The film is being directed by Parvathi Balagopalan, who had earlier made Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula.

Talking about her unusually titled comedy, Panag said: "My role is that of a caricature artist in London. Since it is not easy for her to live out of her earnings, she joins Vinay Pathak's restaurant as a cashier. It is then that Vinay's life starts to transform."

So, does she believe comedy is the flavour of the season? "I feel slapstick comedy is the flavour of the season, not seasoned comedy," the actress said. "We don't see comedies like Rajnigandha or Golmaal any more."

Another feather in Panag's cap was the Tata Sky commercial with superstar Aamir Khan. "Working with Aamir was outstanding," she said. "He is an actor par excellence. He is renowned not only for his huge commercial status but also for being the actor he is."

This year will see Panag working with Ram Gopal Varma for the first time in Rann, which stars Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal, Riteish Deshmukh and Rajat Kapoor.

"In Rann I play Nandita, who represents the voice of youth," Panag said, refusing to divulge anything more about the movie.

Along with Rann, Gul Panag has her hands full with Mukta Arts' Hello Darling and Rajat Kapoor's Ek Rectangular Love Story.

The actress rubbishes rumours about her wanting to join politics. "I don't know where these inaccurate statements come into the picture from," she said. "It's true that I am politically quite aware, which I feel each one of us should be, because we are part of the country and of the voting system. But I have no plans of joining the field."