::: Happy Birthday Gayatri :::. Review on Gayatri Joshi

• Can a girl who acted as a middle class Indian mother in ads, get a break into Bollywood opposite Shahrukh Khan?

  
  




• Can a girl make it big into Bollywood without any godfather?

  
  




• Can a girl succeed in today?s time in the film industry without relying on shedding her clothes and looking glamourous?

  
  




• Can a girl have the guts to choose an offbeat role for her very first movie (knowing very well that it may affect her career)?

  
  




• Can a girl be so confident & talented to match the King Khan screen to screen without getting overshadowed by him, in her very first performance?

  
  




• Can a girl really possess that rare combination of both looks and intelligence?

  
  

Whoof?the answers to all these or most of these questions would be a big flat NO, unless the girl is extremely unique, talented and determined. Some people are really special. They are not a part of the crowd. They stand apart in crowds. They don?t follow the trends but set the trends. Talking of such people one name that instantly comes to my mind is ? Gayatri Joshi! She is one person who has done all that we thought was quite an unfeasible task.

~ Gayatri Joshi ? A Journey To Bollywood ~

Born on 20th March 1977, Gayatri did her graduation in the commerce stream from Sydenham College, Mumbai. She has been a successful model. Her modeling career began when she was still graduating in 1996. She is a known face for a regular television watcher since she has done innumerable ads for various products.

Some of them that come to my mind are ? LG, Godrej Coloursoft, Sunsilk Fruitamin, Ponds, Philips, Bombay Dyeing, Siyaram, Oxemberg, Colgate, Cadbury Perk, Pond and Boro Natural. She is looking extremely glamourous in her latest ad of Mayur Suitings with Virender Sehwag, thus, silencing her critics who said that she can do only Behen Ji type of roles after Swades. But the ad, which made her most famous and got her the role of Swades was her Hyundai Santro commercial with none other than King Khan!

Other than these ads she has also modeled for Seasons Catalouge and calendar for the year 2001. She has featured in music videos too. Her performance in Jagjit Singh?s music video, ?Voh Kagaz Ki Kashti? was a treat to watch. She brought life in that song through her innocent and fresh expressions. She did a good job in Hansraj Han?s ?Jhanjaria? as well.

She participated in Femina Miss India beauty pageant and was selected to represent India at the Miss International in Japan in the year 2000, as she made it to the last five!

She has studied ?packaging and design? from New York University as consumer and cosmetic products and beautifully packed material have always attracted her. Her love for the art can be seen by the fact that she used to go to learn painting from the renowned painter M.K. Kelkar.

~ Gayatri Joshi ? The Gita Of Swades ~

As I mentioned earlier, it was the Hyundai commercial with Shahrukh Khan that got her the role in Swades. Ashutosh Gowarikar knew her through this ad only. He saw her in a party and found the perfect Gita in her. He invited her for an audition and after three auditions she was selected for the role. Rest is history, as they say.

Her role in Swades was of a village school teacher, who doesn?t quit in spite of various problems like casteism, poverty and lack of basic amenities. She loves her motherland, is proud to be an Indian and has a mind of her own. She is strong and determined ? just like a modern day Indian woman should be. She knows her rights and can?t be exploited. A stereotype bloke can?t take her for granted by imposing unfair conditions on her e.g. she won?t work after marriage. Why won?t she? A woman too has ambitions in life and wants to be known by an identity of her own. She too wants to live with self-respect with her head held high. She?d much rather stay unmarried rather than agreeing to such unjustified demands.

It was a very challenging role indeed and hats off to Miss Joshi for pulling it off so well. She didn?t allow a superstar like Shahrukh to overshadow her (which itself is a big achievement for a debutant) and went on to match him performance wise. She certainly was equally good if not better! Also, her guts should be admired that she decided to do a non-glamorous role in her first film itself when other actresses are competing with each other on who will shed more clothes or who will give more number of smooches! That?s what I meant when I said, she isn?t a part of the crowd, but she stands apart from it!

About her experience of Swades, she says that although she was a bit nervous and jittery early on but being with Shahrukh helped her as she learnt a lot from him. And since Shahrukh likes to rehearse a lot it worked in her advantage. The credit must also go to Mr. Gowarikar who had discussed the character with her in detail.

~ Gayatri Joshi ? The Person ~

Gayatri comes across as a very gentle, down-to-earth & soft-spoken person. Yet she is very honest and frank. She has a mind of her own and doesn?t feel shy in speaking it out. This virtue of hers adds to the charisma of this already very alluring lady. She isn?t afraid to break the rules and go against the norms as can be seen by her role in Swades.

She feels that although having a godfather in the film industry helps, yet eventually it?s your work, which speaks in the end. Thus, she isn?t discouraged by the fact that she doesn?t have a godfather and is confident about her success. This is what makes her all the more respectable, since she has chosen a path less traveled by i.e. of a self-made man/woman.

About on-screen chemistry she believes that it?s not essential that you need to have a good off-screen relation with your co-star to have a good on-screen chemistry. She thinks it depends more on one?s professionalism. Sometimes, good off-screen couples don?t look good on-screen.

~ Gayatri Joshi ? The Future ~

Looking at the future prospects Gayatri will continue doing substantial roles in Bollywood. It?s good to see that she is not interested in being just a showpiece in the films and wants to make an impression. She will continue modeling as well since that happens to be her first love.

~ Gayatri Joshi - A Message From Tanmay ~

Firstly I?d like to wish her a very happy and blissful birthday. May success kiss her feet and she goes on to become one of the greatest Bollywood actresses ever. And secondly I want to thank her for taking out time from her busy schedule to reply to my e-mails. This wonderful gesture from her part yet again proves her modesty. She is not only an astonishing actress but an astonishing human being too! Happy Birthday Gayatri!

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