Shehnaaz Gill, the beloved Punjabi star who rose to national fame with Bigg Boss 13, recently appeared on Bigg Boss 19 to welcome her brother Shehbaz as a wildcard and to promote her film Ikk Kudi. During a conversation with Salman Khan, she made a striking statement, “Mere upar koi paise nahi laga raha, toh maine khud par laga diye.” Now, in a new interview, Shehnaaz has revealed the real reason behind those words.
“I am being used as a prop in films”
Shehnaaz shared that the comment stemmed from her growing frustration with the kind of opportunities coming her way. She said she has been receiving multiple offers, but most of them reduce her to a decorative presence with no meaningful contribution.Speaking to Faridoon Shahryar, Shehnaaz explained, “That statement came from the fact that I am not getting good stories, and I am being used as a prop in films. I keep seeing the same kind of stories; there is nothing unique, and they have no great messages. I was getting a lot of offers, but I feel putting that money on me should be worthwhile.”
Rejecting Punjabi films for five years
The actress also revealed that despite being offered Punjabi projects consistently, she turned them down because they lacked freshness.She said, “I have been offered Punjabi films for the last five years, but I wasn’t doing them. I wanted someone to bet on me with a different concept. I wanted to make a comeback in the Punjab industry in a different way, especially after returning after 3–4 years. I was waiting for that.”
“I want to prove myself first”
Shehnaaz further opened up about why she finally decided to invest her own money into a Punjabi film. For her, it’s part of rebuilding her artistic identity and proving her range before stepping into bigger Bollywood roles. She shared, “It’s crucial to understand scripts and films. I just didn’t want to do anything for the sake of it, because these things stay. I thought, why not do something in our own Punjabi industry where we can actually make a difference? Why are we just running behind Bollywood? I will work there someday, but first I want to prove myself. I am giving auditions for Bollywood, doing the best I can, but first proving myself as an actor was very important.”
