Best remembered for her role of Gauri in the 2001 epic sports drama Lagaan, actress Gracy Singh was born on July 20, 1980, in Delhi (All pictures courtesy: Gracy Singh's Instagram account)
During her screen test for Lagaan, Gracy Singh was asked to dance to the song 'Hothon pe aisi baat', which was originally played by Vyjanthimala in the film 'Jewel Thief'
Gracy Singh started her career touring with the dance group 'The Planets'. Very few know that she has been dancing from the age of three
She is a trained Bharatnatyam as well as an Odissi dancer. Gracy Singh has performed on stage at several dance shows and you will find her practising most of the times. She started taking Bharat Natyam lessons during her vacations while studying at Manav Sthali School. The spark of dancing and performing only grew more as years went by. Becoming an accomplished classical dancer Gracy formed her own dance troupe and now performs worldwide
In an interview with mid-day in 2010, Gracy had said, 'I dance because I love dancing. I was as young as three when I realised that I liked dancing. Not much has changed since then. Dance keeps me physically as well as mentally fit. I don't have to worry about hitting the gym or enrolling in a yoga class, as long as I know I can dance'
In a candid interview with mid-day, Gracy had confessed saying, 'Bharatnatyam connects me to God. If there is anything I regard higher than my parents and God, it is Bharatnatyam! It's the only hobby I have nurtured for years and it gives me the utmost pleasure to be even talking about it'
Gracy further added, 'I do a lot of stage shows and hence whenever I have the time, I get engrossed in polishing up my postures. Bharatanatyam gives me a sense of belonging to my culture. The different forms of this dance are so Indian and ethnic that I love performing them. Dance also helps me better my concentration and stamina, which is much needed in my day-to-day life. Being an actor, one needs to have expressions and a lot of flexibility. I thank my dancing for giving me both'
After a big start with Lagaan, a follow-up with Munnabhai MBBS and a no-show after that, Gracy Singh went on to do some utterly forgettable films. Anything she did after Lagaan was a huge step-down
But Gracy Singh has no complaints that the hype surrounding the Oscar-nominated film did no good to her career. 'I got more attention and stardom than I wanted at the time. There was too much hype around for me to handle. I have no complaints,' she candidly confessed
Gracy also starred in Rajkumar Hirani's superhit 'Munnabhai MBBS', but was replaced by actress Vidya Balan in the sequel 'Lage Raho Munnabhai'. 'I knew that Raju was going to make a series of films. It was my decision to take up more challenging and serious kind of cinema rather than commercial films,' Gracy said. She gracefully moved on to a number of issue-based films in order to satisfy her creative side as an actress
In 2015, Gracy Singh returned to TV, playing Goddess Santoshi in 'Santoshi Maa'. The show aired from 2015 to 2017. Gracy said: 'Fans and well-wishers keep asking me the reason I take up only select roles when I am constantly offered various roles. Well, the reason is that with every character, I look for something deep that I can connect with on a personal level. The character of Maa Santoshi in my first stint with 'Santoshi Maa', was extremely fulfilling for me and to bring out the essence once again, is surreal. Playing a divine character isn't easy, but there's an unexplainable positivity that it brings along'
Talking about her acting skills, Gracy Singh, in an interview with mid-day, had said, 'As an actor, dance has helped me in a lot of ways. Classical dance involves abhinaya (expression) which have helped me sharpen my acting skills and expression on screen'
'I have realised that dancing has made me more focused and disciplined. It has taught me how to look at my life's problems from a different perspective. I can take a lot of things in my stride now,' added Gracy
Gracy Singh also tried hands-on Malayalam film. She acted in director Jayaraj's 'Loudspeaker'. Gracy Singh was last seen on the big screen in the 2017 drama film Blue Mountains. She played Vaani Mehra in Blue Mountains, that won Best Feature Film at the 19th International Children's Film Festival.
In 2020, Gracy Singh returned to the small screen as Goddess Santoshi Maa, titled Santoshi Maa - Sunaye Vrat Kathayein
Gracy added: 'My affinity towards Maa Santoshi is what brings me back to the character, and I couldn't be happier accepting this. The show will focus on the importance of Vrats in our lives and how it can be used as a weapon to fight all our troubles and adversities.'
Here's wishing Gracy Singh a very happy birthday
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