2 Years of Jubilee: How Wamiqa Gabbi’s ‘Stupid Videos’ on Instagram Helped Her Land Role
Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Jubilee stars Wamiqa Gabbi alongside Aparshakti Khurana, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Aditi Rao Hydari.
It’s been two years since the release of Vikramaditya Motwane’s critically acclaimed period drama Jubilee. Starring Wamiqa Gabbi, Aparshakti Khurana, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Aditi Rao Hydari, the series drew praise for its stellar cast and nuanced performances. Wamiqa, who played the role of Niloufer, became an audience favourite and rose to prominence following the show’s success. But interestingly, she wasn’t selected after her first audition for the role.
It was only after this initial rejection that she bagged the part—thanks, in part, to her so-called “stupid videos" on Instagram.
related stories
In a 2023 interview with India Today, Wamiqa recalled her first meeting with director Vikramaditya Motwane. She shared that their initial encounter took place before the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, she felt her audition had gone well. She described herself as “graceful" and believed she had given her best. However, Motwane had a different vision for Niloufer—he didn’t want her to be “just graceful", but to embody much more.
“So the first day I met Vikramaditya, the audition went okay. It was just one meeting. Then the pandemic happened and he joined Instagram and started following me. He saw all my stupid videos and realised that I have a great sense of humour. He saw Niloufer in me. That’s how I got the call again. I didn’t have to audition again; I was just locked," Wamiqa explained.
Elsewhere in the conversation, she was asked whether she is as sassy as Niloufer. In response, Wamiqa described her character as a “free woman" who is often seen as “a bad woman" by society because she owns a kotha in Lucknow. She also spoke about her personal life, expressing gratitude for her “beautiful, supportive, and understanding" family. They never made her feel as though they were allowing her freedom—her freedom simply existed. She added that she strongly relates to that “feeling of freeness".
In addition to the lead cast, Jubilee also features Nandish Singh Sandhu, Shweta Basu Prasad, Madhu Sachdeva, Sidhant Gupta, and others in significant roles. Set in the pre-independence era, the 10-episode series is currently streaming on Prime Video.
- Location :
- First Published: