Making waves at Cannes in a gown crafted entirely from hair, Parul Gulati opens up about her evolution as an artist, her instinct-driven choices, and how storytelling fuels every facet of her life—whether on screen or in business. In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, the actor and entrepreneur delves into her dynamic world, balancing the grit of portraying a gun-wielding bandit in her upcoming web series Donali with the creativity and drive behind her successful hair extension brand, Nish Hair
Tejal Sinha
tejal.sinha30@gmail.com
Parul Gulati is a powerhouse of talent and ambition — an actor who effortlessly inhabits layered characters on screen and a sharp entrepreneur redefining beauty norms with her hair extension brand, Nish Hair. Present here in Hyderabad for a whirlwind event filled with fan interactions, exciting games and ofcourse, the ‘Parul Smoothie’, Parul brought her signature charm and candor to the city. In this exclusive chat with The Pioneer, she opens up about her upcoming web series Donali, her much-talked-about Cannes appearance in a gown made entirely of hair and how she’s balancing the glitz of showbiz with the grit of building a business from scratch.
From a fun trivia to treasure hunt at Broadway, the weekend had it all! Post an exciting weekend, just as always, her entrepreneurial energy already setting the tone, the Haq Se fame reflects on the love she’s received as an actor over the years, especially from her work on POW: Bandhi Yuddh Ke. “It feels rewarding,” she admits. “As people in creative fields, we just crave recognition and love. And when it comes, it humbles you. I feel really, really grateful.”
She’s now gearing up for her upcoming web series Donali, set in the early 1900s when dacoits ruled the Chambal terrain. “People haven’t seen characters or settings like this in a long time. It’s like a treasure hunt—these bandits are looking for treasure. It’s funny and serious at the same time, and I think people will love it.”
Gulati plays a young, gun-wielding bandit—a character that pushed her to learn new skills. “I had to learn action, shoot a double-barrel gun—which is what a ‘donali’ is—and I didn’t even have the strength to pull the trigger on a revolver at first,” she confesses, laughing. “Speaking in Bundeli, the dialect, was another challenge. I had to stay consistent with it over a year and a half of shooting. We lived like locals—peeing behind bushes in the jungle, roughing it out.”
Working alongside actors like Barun Sobti and Divyenndu added layers to the experience, though, surprisingly, she shot the most with Divyenndu. “There’s a huge cast—Chunky Panday, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Sandhya Mridul and so many more. We had often just sit around chatting between setups. The jungle shoots were intense. We’d carry snacks and literally live the life of the characters.”
She describes the tone of Donali as a satire with a touch of drama. Preparing for such a layered world wasn’t easy. “We started working on it during the 2020 lockdowns and finished in 2023. That entire period, I was fully consumed by this character—Phool. It really demanded everything from me.”
While Phool’s impulsiveness mirrors her own instincts, the rest of the character is a departure. “She deals with things I can’t even imagine. She’s not the leader of her gang but wants to be. She doesn’t have a phone, she has personal demons—so much I couldn’t relate to directly, but it was fascinating to become her.”
Parul also has a comedy film lined up, though she can’t talk much about it just yet. What draws her to comedy, though, is simple: “It has to make me laugh. That’s it! If I enjoy it, then I feel the audience will too.” She sees comedy as an instinctual rhythm. “I try not to rehearse comedic lines too much. I want it to land fresh. Comedy timing still confuses me a bit—I don’t always know what others will find funny, so I focus on keeping it real for myself.”
That instinct for originality showed in full force at Cannes, where she made a bold fashion statement in a gown made entirely of hair braids, weaving her own story. “When the Cannes conversation started, my team said, ‘Let’s create something unique. You’re not going with a film but as an Indian entrepreneur. Let’s show what Indian women entrepreneurs can do.’” The idea of a “Malkin” gown evolved—“I was like, let’s make a gown made out of hair!” After weeks of ideation, designer Mohit Rai came on board. “We didn’t want it to be gimmicky—no Chewbacca vibes. We wanted structure and elegance. We tried French braids, but they didn’t look right. We finally found a pattern with straight braids wrapping the bodice and stitched them onto a fitted structure.”
Walking the Cannes red carpet in that gown was surreal. “People like Niharika and Anushka Sen were there and they were like—Parul, is that a hair dress? And one of the volunteers at the theatre said it was the most unique dress she’d ever seen. That was a precious moment.”
She firmly believes that fashion can be storytelling—or even activism. “I literally weaved my story into braids and wore it. Everyone at Cannes was expressing something deeply personal—whether it was Alia in Gucci or Aishwarya with her sindoor. It was a proud moment for South Asians, especially South Asian women.”
Managing multiple roles—actor, entrepreneur, content creator—is no cakewalk, but Parul credits her team. “Leadership is about delegation. I’ve built strong teams over the years. My company director Reva travels with me everywhere. I don’t micromanage anymore because that limits growth. My acting is managed by one team, my brand by another, and they all work in sync.”
Despite her success, the Girls Hostel star remains grounded. “When I was just acting, I didn’t have this clarity. But running a business changes you. Some customers don’t even know I’m an actor. That humility—that reality check—keeps me anchored. Managing 60 women, selling directly to customers, it makes you understand human behavior better.”
She admits she’s constantly evolving. “Every project, every year, adds something new. I’ve been acting since I was 17. Now I make more conscious choices and the roles I’ve played—like journalists—let me research and empathise. That’s the beauty of being an actor. You walk in someone else’s shoes and come out changed.”
Asked about what kind of projects excite her, she says it boils down to character. “Sometimes the script placement matters, sometimes it’s just the role. Like in Made in Heaven, I really wanted to work with Zoya—” and here she trails off, a smile in her voice, clearly hinting at many exciting things still under wraps.
