Bollywood's missing stars: Gracy Singh

Remember Gauri from Lagaan? The girl who won our hearts with her girl-next-door appeal. The role of the village belle earned Gracy Singh many accolades in Bollywood. She impressed the audience again with movies like Munnabhai M.B.B.S, Gangaajal, etc., fortunate to share the screen with some of the big names in the industry during the dawn of her career. The Delhi born actress tried her luck in regional movies as well, but her fame dwindled soon and she receded into the background, limiting herself to occasional roles in Bollywood.

Gracy started off as a television actor in 1997 with Amanat, a soap series telecasted on Zee TV. She segued into films, landed minor roles in movies like Hu Tu Tu and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain. Her big break happened in 2001 with Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Lagaan as Aamir Khan’s heroine, a period drama set against the backdrop of colonial India. The movie garnered national and international attention, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002.

The actress failed to maintain her momentum. She soon joined the list of actresses who sank into oblivion despite making an impressive debut. Some are of the opinion that Gracy’s image didn’t align well with the popular perception of a Bollywood heroine. Gracy has always maintained that she didn’t take any break from acting career, but was only being selective about her roles. In a recent interview to Hindustan Times, she said that she keeps listening to scripts, but doesn’t commit unless she was completely convinced of the role.

Gracy has done regional movies in Telugu, Marathi, Punjabi, Malayalam, Bengali and Kannada, but her Bollywood screen presence has been limited to occasional movies, and sometimes cameo roles. It has been 20 years since she started her acting career with Amanat on mini-screen. In 2015, she made a grand re-entry to miniscreen with Santoshi Maa, where she portrays the role of a goddess.

A trained classical dancer, the actress devotes her time mostly for stage performances, staying dedicated to her passion. Her dance dramas deal with social issues; women empowerment and even spirituality becomes the theme of her Bharatanatyam, Odissi, and Kathak performances.

Gracy maintains an active social media profile. Her official website describes her as an actor, classical dancer, and social worker. She is also a member of Brahma Kumaris religious foundation. The 36-year-old’s tweets often resonate spirituality.

Gracy will be seen next in Suman Ganguli’s Blue Mountains, with Ranvir Shorey.