Gracy Singh's birthday: 5 lesser-known facts about the 'Lagaan' actor
Remember Gracy Singh, the actor popular from two of the biggest Hindi films, Lagaan and Munnabhai M.B.B.S.? She turned 43 on Thursday (July 20). Despite starring in back-to-back hit Bollywood films with Aamir Khan, Sanjay Dutt, and Ajay Devgn (Gangajal), she stepped away from the film industry gradually. On her birthday, let's look at some of the lesser-known facts about the actor.
'Acting's not my life's mission'
One of the reasons Singh chose to walk away from Bollywood despite winning several awards and starring in an Oscar-nominated film was, she wanted to do more than just acting. "Ab bas, ab mujhe kuch aur karne doh, meri life ka mission sirf acting nahi hai (Let me do something else now)." She also mentioned that she wants to write and direct films someday.
She knew from start she won't do many movies
"Slowly but surely I felt I should do something different. You know what! When I started off, I told my manager that I will not do too many films in my life. I told him that I may not do beyond one or two. I went on to do many more but I was never chasing work in the film line," she said.
Singh is a 'Brahma Kumari'
After working in a few regional films, Singh joined the Brahmakumari World Spiritual University and began following their rules completely by heart. She is now an active member of Brahma Kumaris. "I experienced boundless safety, peace, joy, understanding, acceptance, and cooperation. I met people from all over the world who were humble, kind, and understanding here," she once said in an interview.
Singh in regional cinema
Besides Hindi, she starred in several regional films including Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Punjabi, and Marathi. She appeared in Santhosham, Tappu Chesi Pappu Koodu, Loudspeaker, Lakh Pardesi Hoiye, Meghave Meghave, Ramdev, Andhala Doctor, Appan Per Milange, Samadhi, and Chhoriyan, among others. Later, she became a household name with her lead role in the Hindi daily soap Santoshi Maa.
What is Singh doing now?
She started her career as an Odissi dancer and then appeared on screen through television serials. Singh made a successful jump to the big screens and won several awards, including Filmfare. However, she later transitioned to television again. She said she wanted to do roles that normal girls could find relatable. She was last seen in the role of Goddess Santoshi.
