Actor and dancer Lauren Gottlieb is currently performing with rapper Honey Singh on his My Story tour. In an exclusive conversation with mid-day, Lauren opened up about collaborating with the rapper and spoke about her future plans in Bollywood.
Lauren first performed at Honey Singh`s concert on March 14 and followed it up by performing at his Mumbai concert on March 28. Now, she revealed that she plans to join him at his upcoming concert in Pune too.
Speaking about how the collaboration came together, Lauren said it was very last-minute. “I got a call on a Thursday night, and they said, `Can you be on a flight first thing in the morning?`”
Lauren Gottlieb on performing with Honey Singh
What made the Delhi performance stand out was that Lauren and Honey Singh were not just dancing together on stage, but were simultaneously shooting a live music video.
Lauren revealed that what unfolded on stage was almost entirely improvised, since they were only able to rehearse twice before the concert.
Recalling her dramatic entry, she said, “I had this really long walk-in, and Honey Singh was right in front of me, and I just gave him this look. I think it shocked him. Then all of a sudden he gave me a huge smile, and I realised that we were locked in together. When you have 25,000 people, but you’re doing something very intimate, that’s not really choreographed, you have to be locked into one another.”
Elaborating on the challenge of performing for the audience and camera simultaneously, the ABCD actress said, “It’s something that no one’s done before. And it’s like a one-take with the camera. We`re performing for the camera. And everyone`s able to see it on the screen. So I`m looking into the camera and giving all those expressions that you would in a normal shoot. But when I go off camera, and the camera`s on him, then I`m performing for the rest of the arena. Because you have to know that 25,000 people are also there.”
Lauren details her Easter plans
For Lauren, this Easter is special as it marks her first Easter post her marriage to Tobias Jones. Sharing her plans, she revealed, “I am performing with Honey on Saturday in Pune (The concert has since been postponed). So on Easter Sunday, we will be waking up, probably having a nice brunch and heading back to Bombay. I`ll be away from my husband, away from my family back home. But everyone knows I`m living my dreams, and everyone`s very supportive. I have to go home and see them very soon, or call them here.”
Lauren talks about her upcoming projects
Lauren has been enjoying a mix of being in front of the camera and leading the creative vision from behind the scenes. She recently appeared in a supporting role in Single Salma, choreographed and performed the song Who Rules The World for The Royals.
Lauren shared how her approach to projects has evolved after investing in learning acting. A trained dancer since the age of 7, Lauren largely restricted herself to special appearances in songs in films like Detective Byomkesh Bakshy and Welcome Back. However, now she is prepared to take on meatier roles.
“I went to acting school in New York, which I hadn`t done when I first entered Bollywood. So I`m looking out for the right roles now, and I`m being really intentional with what I’m doing. I’m exploring film opportunities and songs. I have a song shoot coming up in a couple of weeks,” she disclosed.
Hinting at something bigger in the works, Lauren also shared, “I’m currently working on my own show, which is really exciting. It’s something I haven’t spoken about yet. It`s going to be at a Hollywood meets Bollywood type of level and something never seen before.”
She also got candid about her crackling on-stage chemistry with Honey Singh, expressing confidence in a future collaboration. “I think 100 percent we have to do a music video. I put money on it. The chemistry is there, and people love seeing us together.”
