Glamour and showbiz is often defined as a ‘big bad world’. Standing on one’s feet in here is not an easy task here, but brushing aside fear of fall, Geet has embarked on her journey to become the first mainstream ‘wheelchair actor’.
In an exclusive interview with newskarnataka.com, Geet talks of her past, her present and what she sees in store for her future.
Q: You are surely someone who has out grown your disadvantage. Your are truly inspirational, but to achieve something so unusual, who was your inspiration?
My family and God have always been my support and inspiration. They have been the ones who have always given me the strength to move on. They have believed in me and encouraged me to believe in myself.
Q: Was it a easy walk to reach were you have reach? What kind of criticism and discouragement you have faced?
I have faced criticism and discouragement on many different fronts. But, in terms of acting, my 12th standard drama instructor basically refused to cast me in the school play because of the wheelchair. She told me I could work back stage on the production, but not on stage. She felt my wheelchair would detract from her production.
I was heart broken. And after that experience, there was a period of time that I was too discouraged to even audition for a role. Acting was still my passion and I continued to take drama classes in college. I was just afraid that maybe no one wanted to cast an actress with a disability. So instead, I started writing and directing small productions for community events and street drama to perform in market places and slums.
In fact, even now, when I tell people I want to be an actress, many people suggest, “Have you thought about direction or production?” For many people this is a new concept, an actress in a wheelchair. But I am determined to make it a reality.
And I am overwhelmed by the millions of people from all over the world who are supporting my dream of becoming an actress through my Facebook page. In less than six months, over one and a half million people have liked my page and said they are waiting to see me on the silver screen. From this it is clear that the audience has spoken that they are ready, and in fact want, to see persons with disabilities in media.
Q: Tell us a little about your family, your childhood and upbringing?
I was born in a traditional Indian family, the youngest of three daughters. I also have a younger brother. I spent my childhood in Africa, India and the US, playing dolls and video games, as well as running around with my siblings. I was a talkative and active child.
My father is a retired structural engineer. He has designed and built roads and bridges all around the world. My mother is a homemaker.
My parents have always raised us to be confident, independent and successful. They have also instilled in us an appreciation for the arts. But most of all, they have emphasized the importance of always being a good human being.
I was always a bright student and class topper. I especially liked English, and enjoyed writing poetry and short stories and even started a screenplay of my very own. Like most Indian parents, my parents too wanted me to study engineering, which I did. I graduated top of my class with a bachelor of engineering. But then I also studied and earned my doctor of law degree.
Q: You are a great Bollywood buff. What draws you to Bollywood and what age did you decide that you aspired to act some day?
I have actually been a Bollywood fan since as far back as I can remember. I always wanted to be an actress. Even as a child, I would often just start acting at the dinner table. For some strange reason, my favorite character to play was the “dying mom” who would bless her children and ask them to take revenge. I guess, at the time, maybe I was inspired by characters like Rakhi’s in Karan Arjun.
Q: Who is your bollywood idol?
In terms of acting, the actress that inspires me the most in Bollywood today is Priyanka Chopra. I have followed her career from the beginning and admired her courage to try all sorts of roles, even negatives roles, early in her career. She is so versatile and can go from being the girl next door in Agneepath to a glamorous diva in Dostana to an unstable murderer in 7 Khoon Muaf to an FBI agent in Quantico. And I admire the fact that her talents are not only limited to acting, but she sings amazingly as well. She is a diverse artist who pushes her limits and continues to grow.
But, if you were to ask me my celebrity idol in terms of life, I would say Salman Khan because of his humanitarian work. I admire the way he gives back to society. I think that is very important to not live a self-centered life, but to always try to help others in whatever way we can.
I also really admire Amir Khan for picking relevant topics to better society. Taare Zameen Par and Three Idiots were beautiful movies with much needed messages, that touched millions. I also salute him for Satyamev Jayate. He has courage and is not afraid to take chances if it means he can make a difference.
Q: You are a motivational speaker as well. What is the message that you give to your audience through the talks?
I speak on a lot of different topics, but one of my favorite themes is: “Concentrate on what you can do, rather than on what you can’t do, and God will make all things possible.” I have always chosen to focus on my abilities and my strengths and capitalize on them. And I believe in the power of prayer. I think everyone in this world has inabilities, things we can’t do. My inabilities are obvious. When I was ten years old, I was in a car accident in which I injured my spinal cord and lost the use of my legs. Before the accident, I could run and jump and dance like any other little kid, but after the accident, I was confined to my wheelchair. And of lot of times when someone is in a wheelchair it is automatically assumed that they are helpless and their life is basically over. I could have believed that stereotype and thought that I can’t do anything anymore, I can’t be what I want to be. But instead, I believed…I believed that although I couldn’t use my legs anymore, I could still use my arms, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my smile. I could still use so many things to accomplish my dreams. Instead of thinking I can’t, I believed that with God I can. And I continue to believe that. And I think that if each one of use believes that, all things are possible.
Q: What has been your life-defining experience?
My biggest life-defining experience happened when I was just 10 years old. My family and I were in a devastating car accident. One moment, I was sleeping in the back seat of my parent’s car, with no worries in the world, and the next moment, when I woke up, there were ambulances all around and doctors told my parents that I would never walk again. I suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down. Unable to feel or move my legs, I was confined to a wheelchair.
Immediately, I spiraled into depression. It was such a traumatic time for me that I don’t really remember much of it. But, my mom tells me that I used to cry all the time because I felt like my life was over. My dreams were shattered. I would never be able to be or do anything by myself. I would be an invalid for the rest of my life. Everywhere I went, people stared at me and felt sorry for me. I felt sorry for myself. But through the love and support of God and my family, I was slowly but surely able to come out of this depression.
Q: There are several hardships aspiring actor face and you are striving to become a ‘wheelchair’ actor, which is so unheard of and so unconventional. How do you plan to overcome hurdles and reach your goal?
I know it will not be an easy path, but there are two magic words that will help me overcome all hurdles to reach my goal. And those words are “I can.” I once read that Thomas Edison made almost 1,000 unsuccessful attempts before he invented the electric light. And Bill Gates was a college drop out and his first business failed. Amitabh Bachchan, I read, was rejected from a radio job because his voice was not good enough. But they all went on to be hugely successful because they chose to believe “I can.” In the same way, whatever difficulty comes my way, I will always believe “I can” and try my hardest. And with the grace of God, I believe I will overcome all hurdles and reach my goal.
Q: Have there been bitter experiences in the past, which made you think twice about your career or even think of giving up?
After 12th standard I stopped performing publically for some time because I started to believe that people would not accept me as a wheelchair actress. My 12th standard drama instructor basically refused to cast me in the school play because of the wheelchair. She told me I could work back stage on the production, but not on stage. She felt my wheelchair would detract from her production.
I was heart broken. And after that experience, there was a period of time that I was too discouraged to even audition for a role. Acting was still my passion and I continued to take drama classes in college. I was just afraid that maybe no one wanted to cast an actress with a disability. So instead, I started writing and directing small productions for community events and street drama to perform in market places and slums.
I was too disillusioned to audition to act on stage myself. That is, until, India’s Best Cine Stars Ki Khoj. Since then, I am determined to pursue my acting dreams.
I do realize that practically speaking, there are very few, if any, roles for disabled actors in cinema today. So, going for traditional auditions is not really an option for me. That is part of the reason I have taken the help of social media, to raise awareness and showcase my talent. I am hoping that as word spreads maybe someone in the film industry anywhere in India will take note and give me a chance for at least an audition. They will not be disappointed!
Q: What do you consider as a “turning point”, in your life?
A turning point happened when last year I tried for India’s Best Cinestar’s ki Khoj, which was an amazing experience. I had been seeing the ads for the reality show on TV, but ignored them for the most part, thinking, “They wouldn’t want me.” Then when my sister saw that the Delhi auditions were just 3 days away, she began pushing me to give it a try. I was hesitant, but then decided to go for it, just for fun. I didn’t expect that I would even make it past the first audition. But, to my surprise, I began clearing audition after audition. And as this process continued, my passion for acting was rekindled.
Rather than preparing pieces solely for the audition, I began preparing monologues just to see if I could do better and do different types of scenes. It became a way to challenge myself and expand my acting abilities. I would perform for my family and friends, just to see their reaction, and was pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback.
I cleared several auditions, in Delhi and even traveled to Mumbai twice. I made it to the top 75 in the nation. But then one of the final audition rounds was a dance round. At that point, I was disqualified.
But for me, this was an awesome experience and showed me that I truly can act and that my acting can be appreciated, even though I am in a wheelchair. And I attribute my rekindled passion for acting and my drive to make it to Bollywood to this experience.
Q: When and where you had your first performance, and please tell us the most memorable one.
My first performance was when I was in 6th standard. It was just months after the accident, I participated in a class play and a school play. But my most memorable performance was in 8th standard. The school play was the Wizard of Oz. I was the only girl who auditioned for the part of the Wizard and I got the role. I was a pretty quiet child, so I think I surprised everyone with my loud and powerful performance. I think this was my most memorable performance because it was the first time my acting was really appreciated by one and all.
Q: Tell us about your upcoming , current assignments?
I have just completed work on 6 short films in which I play the female lead. Three are motivational and three are love stories. My goal is to make it into Indian cinema. I am open to any form of acting be it theater, radio, ad films, short films, talk shows, music videos, serials or movies. As I mentioned earlier, I am not only open to Bollywood, but any film industry that is willing to give me a chance.
But, I am also very passionate about social work. I actually quit my job to volunteer full time as a social worker. I run a small NGO through which we try to help underprivileged children and at-risk youth. We go into the slums and through story-telling, song, dance and drama, we try to teach them positive values and encourage them to dream and succeed in life.
So, like my idol Salman Khan and Rajnikant ji, I plan to continue social work throughout my life. I think that is very important to not live a self-centered life, but to always try to help others in whatever way we can.
Also, I want to be even more involved in the motivational speaking arena. I would like to motivate both the abled-bodied as well as the physically challenged. Until recently, I did not know many physically challenged people. But, through the internet, and especially through my page, I have been coming in contact with more and more individuals who are living with different physical challenges. And, I have realized that they all have not been as privileged as myself to have a strong support system that always encourages them to push themselves to succeed. I would love to reach out to these thousand of people and encourage them to not give up on life. Even if there is one thing they can’t do, there are so many more things that they can do…and should do.
I really appreciate that you are taking the time to interview me and share my story with others. I hope that someone, somewhere sees this interview and gives me at least a chance to audition. After that, I am sure I can prove my worth.
