Born on January 3, 1979, Gul Panag hails from Chandigarh, Punjab. The actress has always been a bright student, right from her childhood. Unlike many who don't like Math, Gul loves the subject. The actor who graduated in Math could do 15 digit calculations mentally while in school. And till date, she ensures that she stays in touch with the subject. "I love Math. Before going to bed, I do a couple of interesting problems mentally. That helps my mind stay sharp and alert. I don't want to lose touch with the subject," says Gul. (All photos/Gul Panag's official Instagram account and AFP)
At age 20, Gul Panag won the Miss India title (1999) and was also crowned Miss Beautiful Smile at the same pageant. She had even participated in the Miss Universe 1999 pageant.
In picture: The top 10 delegates to the 1999 Miss Universe Pageant stand on stage as they are introduced May 26, 1999, at the Universe Centre in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago. (L-R) Diana Nogueira, MISS SPAIN; Nicole Haughton, MISS JAMAICA; Miriam Quiambao, MISS PHILIPPINES; Mpule Kwelagobe, MISS BOTSWANA; Gul Panag, MISS INDIA; Carolina Indriago, MISS VENEZUELA; Sonia Raciti, MISS SOUTH AFRICA; Akuba Cudjoe, MISS GHANA; Brenda Liz Lopez, MISS PUERTO RICO; and Silvia Salgado, MISS MEXICO.
Gul Panag made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with the film Dhoop, a war drama based on Battle of Tiger Hill. Dor (2006), Hello (2008), Turning 30 (2011), and Ab Tak Chhappan 2 (2015) are some of her notable films.
In picture: A throwback picture of Gul Panag, that she shared recently with a long note, that read: Big hair and big dreams. Circa 1999. @gayatrioberoi When I first came to Bombay, almost 20 years ago, I didn't quite take to the city. It was an anticlimax of sorts. Having grown up in military cantonments, I'd imagined Maximum City to be more glamorous. More glossy. After I'd had my fill, I yearned to go back. But go back where? My father was posted in Jodhpur, hardly a place for a 'reigning Miss India' to make her 'base'. The thought of Delhi was somehow more comforting. It was more familiar. (I hadn't been to Bombay till the time I was selected as a contestant in the pageant). Everyone advised me against setting up base in Delhi. But I was undeterred. I had another special reason to be in Delhi- HE lived there I basically did random stuff (TV shows, events) to fill in the time while HIS roster kept him out. I did make two attempts to move to Bombay. But home is where the heart is, I guess. It was only 3 years later, when HE moved to Bombay, that I gave the city another chance - by taking up assignments out of Bombay. And that's when it bit me. The bug of liberation. I felt safe moving about at night, wearing shorts, clothes my size (note the kurta in the photo, it was part of my Delhi wardrobe- nothing fitted). There were actually places to eat that you could go to at 10 pm (in Delhi the only choice was 5 stars that we couldn't afford. Or Pandara). This is 2002. In short, to me, Bombay represented the antithesis of Delhi. Then. It liberated me and gave me wings. And I can't thank the city enough! What has been your Delhi Vs Mumbai experience?
For those who are unaware, she is a serial half-marathon runner, an avid biker and is also a certified pilot, who has been trained on a professional platform- Formula E. Gul Panag always makes an effort to keep abreast of what's happening in the field of aviation. "My dream is to fly around the world, which will be a five-month-long trip," says Gul.
Gul Panag's husband, Rishi Attari is also a pilot. But according to Gul, the two, unfortunately, can't enjoy a flight together. "He can't fly the kind of aircraft I do. He flies the commercial ones." Talking about flying on celluloid, Gul feels that Top Gun is the best film to be ever made on flying.
Gul Panag tied the knot with her BFF Rishi Attari on March 13, 2011. "We studied at Lawrence School Lovedale, Ooty, and it was when I was in Std VIII and Rishi was the Head Boy of the school, that we struck a friendship. Back then I thought he was cute and nice. We started dating in 2001 and never thought marriage was a pressing issue. But then in October 2010, we attended Shruti (Seth) and Danish's (Aslam) wedding in Goa. It was so much fun with just their family and friends around. That was the day Rishi and I decided that we too wanted to tie the knot in an intimate ceremony," said Gul.
While Gul was dressed in a pink lehenga with heavy necklace and earrings, turbaned Rishi wore a designer sherwani. The highlight of the day turned out to be the baarat, that saw her cousins, friends (including girls) and a 63-year-old aunt riding Enfields. Panag is also an expert in riding bikes, but on her wedding day, Rishi took centre stage. Traffic came to a standstill as many people on the road wondered what the newlyweds were up to. The marriage party was a personal affair with only family friends and selected guests invited.
Gul Panag and Rishi Attari were blessed with a baby boy in early 2018. In this digital era, where keeping things away from the media glare is a tad difficult, Panag successfully managed to keep the news of her motherhood a secret. They named their son Nihaal.
The news became wildfire until she opened up on her motherhood to media and now, frequently shares pictures of her little one. In picture: Gul and her son Nihaal. She shared this picture and wrote alongside, "Getting Nihal out of water is a task. Although grateful that he is a water baby. Unlike his Dad. Took him kayaking for the first time today. All was well until he decided to stand up and look at the 'maannyy fish'."
Talking about her love for riding bikes, Gul said, "My cousin who had an Enfield taught me how to ride a bike when I was in college. At first, he refused to teach me, since The Enfield is a heavy bike, but later relented to my pestering. Being in the army, he was frequently posted, so he left the Enfield behind for me. When I would ride it through the campus, people would salute me for months on end thinking I'm an officer passing by!"
Gul Panag is passionate about motorsports. In 2017, the actress joined Mahindra Racing (which is part of Mahindra & Mahindra group which is into Formula E car racing) in Barcelona to learn to drive a Formula E car. She became the first Indian woman to drive a Formula E car.
Talking about her love for four-wheelers, she said, "When I was just 12, my dad would ask me to check his car's battery, oil and reverse it from our garage daily. This was the high point in my life. And reversing a car from an army garage is no small deal. At 17, I got my learner's license in Chandigarh. Frankly, what first drew my attention to Miss India was the lure of winning a car! When I won the crown, I also got an Indica and was thrilled to bits. I even had it with me as late as three years back. I bought the BMW because I wanted a car which I'd enjoy driving. So most of the time, my driver gets chauffeured around town. I only sit in the back if I have calls to make, mails to answer or if too much is on my mind."
She is a hardcore fitness freak and loves to experiment with various kinds of exercise! When Gul Panag shared a 20-year-old photograph of herself in the island nation, she left netizens stunned with her beauty. She shared an old picture from 1999 in the same swimsuit which she wore during her stay in the Maldives in October 2019. "Then and now. Back in the Maldives after twenty years! My Marks & Spencer swimsuit still going strong," Gul captioned the image. On seeing the picture, netizens, including her friends from the film industry, flooded the comment section with praises. She surely has not aged a day! Don't you agree with us?
Gul is always one of those celebrities who encourage gender equality and support women's empowerment. However, she said that her opinion on feminism has changed over a period of time, with the experience of life. "Honestly speaking, in my thirties, I was a feminist of convenience, and which is often commonly reflected when a woman says, 'my money is my money and your money is our money'. That is how we create pressure on a man to earn money. But If we talk of gender equality, girls must take equal responsibility in every front of life, I have realised. As a feminist, I have evolved too," she shared.
On the work front, Gul Panag had two films and two web series released in 2019, in which she played pivotal roles, and the year undoubtedly had been her most fruitful year. She was seen in web-series Rangbaaz Phirse and The Family Man, and the films, Student Of The Year 2 and Bypass Road.
Gul Panag's recent work in the web-series Paatal Lok is being lauded. Gul Panag has been paired opposite Jaideep Ahlawat, who plays the character of a Delhi policeman, whose life has been stuck between domestic fights and cases. Gul Panag, who plays Jaideep's wife, has the kind of character no one will forget. Her homemaker avatar will make you fall in love with her.
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