Haardik Gabbi, who will be seen in the series Black Warrant, says talent is what matters the most
Getting into the skin of a hardened criminal at the young age of 28 sounds like a tough ballgame. But Chandigarh-based Haardik Gabbi, who goes by the stage name Puran Gabbi, had no hesitation in getting into this dark headspace of a criminal’s mind. Soon, he will be seen playing Ranga of the notorious Billa-Ranga infamy, who had kidnaped and killed the Chopra kids in 1978, in the upcoming series Black Warrant.
The reason for saying yes to the part was a no-brainer. Who would not give want to work with celebrated director Vikramditya Motwane, who helms Black Warrant and directs the segment in which Haardik has been cast? Incidentally, Haardik, who happens to be a singer-musician and runs a band TMDA with his friend Pulkit Tewari, had gone to meet Motwane for a musical assignment. But as Motwane heard his rather dark songs, he suggested — why don’t you audition for acting? Presto, one-and-a-half-month later he got the green signal!
Since the series is based on a book Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer by Sunil Gupta and Sunetra Choudhury, and looks at eight death sentences which were carried out during Gupta’s tenure, Haardik read as much as he could about jail inmates on the death row. Today, it has made this student of psychology better understand how the mind of a criminal works. Talking about Motwane’s directorial method, he shares, “Well, it does not involve minute-by-minute interference. Only his audition process is manifold and much before you are signed, a long conversation prepares the actor in you for the character.” Interestingly, Haardik gets to croon in the series too. “Ranga had become religious as death dawned near and would sing songs too,” he says.
Music one could presume is Haardik’s first love. After all, he has studied the subject for five long years, both in school and in college. And it was this love that took him to Vishal Bhardwaj, whom he assisted in music during the making of Khufiya and Kutte. Meeting Vishal’s equally talented other half, Rekha Bhardwaj, was perhaps a forgone conclusion. Only, he had the good fortune of not just a face-to-face interaction with the gifted singer, but also a chance to sing with and compose for her in an independent album. Hailing her as ‘goddess’ whose songs have been his ringtone for years, singing with Rekha is far more than a ‘pinch me’ moment for him. He says, “I had goose-bumps when she liked my songs and was so overwhelmed after we recorded the first of the four songs that I called Wamiqa and began to cry.”
If Haardik’s surname Gabbi is not a giveaway, let it be said he is the younger brother of Wamiqa Gabbi, the Jubilee star. While Wamiqa has made it sans a godfather, Haardik admits having her in the industry is a privilege. He says, “It gives me the opportunity to knock on many doors, but ultimately you have to chart your own journey and she can’t help me become a better artiste.”
An artiste is how he defines himself when quizzed whether he is a singer first or an actor? Opening the concerts for Talwinder, an emerging singing sensation, Haardik is certainly on a song. Only his head is on his shoulders and sorted too. Quoting Robert de Niro ‘The talent is in choices’, if he lauds his sister for making the right ones, he too will be picky when life offers him as many chances. Till then, he is ready to soak in the sheer presence of geniuses like Bhardwaj and Motwane.
He adds, “There are a million things to learn from observing these greats at work.” His unconventional choice for an acting debut too is a learning curve. Since it makes him privy to, “An emotion of the murderer I will never have access to in real life.” If his wisdom belies his youth, he owes it all to his artistic family, singer grandfather and father Govardhan Gabbi, a noted Punjabi writer. Love makes a family and in his case love for art too.
