Vikramaditya Motwane’s critically acclaimed period-drama Jubilee turns two today, and while fans celebrate the series, Wamiqa Gabbi is celebrating something more personal — the wild way she landed her role as Niloufer.
Believe it or not, Wamiqa was rejected after her first audition! “I tried to be all graceful and polished,” she revealed in a throwback interview. “But turns out, they weren’t just looking for grace — they wanted everything!”
Then came the twist: the pandemic hit, Motwane joined Instagram, and Wamiqa’s quirky, unfiltered videos did all the talking. “He saw all my stupid videos and realized I had a sense of humour. That’s when he saw Niloufer in me,” she said. No second audition. Just a call. Just locked.
Known for her firecracker performance as the free-spirited, misunderstood courtesan in Lucknow, Wamiqa says she relates deeply to Niloufer’s “freeness.” “My family never caged me,” she shared.
Jubilee, streaming on Prime Video, also stars Aparshakti Khurana, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Prosenjit Chatterjee. But today, it’s Wamiqa’s social media hustle that’s getting a standing ovation!