Gul was born in Chandigarh on 3 January 1979, into a 2nd generation armed forces family. She had the fortune of traveling all over the country due to her father’s frequent transfers. By the end of her schooling she had changed 14 schools! Among many Kendriya Vidyalaya’s, The Lawrence School Lovedale, she also studied in Lusaka, Zambia at the International School. She is an alumnus of the Government College for Girls, Patiala, where she pursued a BA in Mathematics and went on to do a Masters in Political Science from Punjab University Chandigarh. Gul always maintained a keen interest in sport and public speaking. She’s won many state and national level debating competitions, including gold medals twice, at the Annual National Inter University Debate.

Entering the Miss India Pageant was a mere extension of her multi talented personality. It came as no surprise when she was crowned Miss India Universe in 1999, still only in her teens. Adamant about finishing her BA (Mathematics) degree, she took time off in her reign year to do the same. The journey since then has been eventful and rewarding. She did a bit modeling, a few TV shows including the critically acclaimed series Kashmeer, before graduating to film with the superbly received Dhoop , her award winning portrayal of Zeenat in Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor and her highly acclaimed work in Manorama Six Feet Under. Then came Summer 2007 directed by her friend, Suhail Tatari, where once again she earned fabulous reviews. Hello her first big budget outing met with a fair degree success, and her glamourous avatar in it took people by surprise and got her a lot of appreciation from audiences and critics alike. After Straight, Gul got a unanimous seal of approval from one and all turning her into the poster girl for the discerning and thinking audience. She was next seen in Ram Gopal Verma’s Rann where she held her own in an ensemble cast led by Amitabh Bachchan. Her recent film Turning 30 (produced by Prakash Jha) got Gul rave reviews for her uninhibited portrayal of a modern woman living life on her own terms. She has up for release this year Rajat Kapoor's and Pritish Nandy’s "Fatso".

Today Gul has earned respect not only as an actor but also a as a human being and has undoubtedly a long innings ahead of her. She has emerged as a thinking actor; her choice of work setting her apart from her contemporaries. She is very particular about playing diverse characters, and works hard to make them look visually different from her earlier portrayals. Whether it was the short haired Peehu in Dhoop, glamourous Sonia in Jurm, stark and sans any makeup Zeenat in Dor and now coming up Nimmi in Manorama Six Feet Under or yuppie Priyanka in Hello, she looks very different in each one of them. She is of course helped immensely by her extremely versatile and unusual looks.

Much more than just an actress…
She’s also an avid reader…
Gul often reads 2-3 books simultaneously; one on her bedside, another in the car and usually one in her handbag. She has a large collection of books and is a collector of first editions. Her all time favourites include A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. She also is a big fan of the Harry Potter series.

And an Adventurer…
Apart from tennis and swimming to keep fit, Gul also enjoys adventure and endurance sports such as white water rafting, rock climbing and trekking. And takes out time to indulge in them. She recently went hiking in the greater Himalayas and came back enthralled. “ It allows me to view my work and life in general from a whole new perspective each time I return”. An off road enthusiast, Gul and her custom made Scorpio 4by4, can often be spotted exploring tracks in the nearby hills of Lonavala and Karnala. Driving from Bombay to Leh (Ladakh), and camping on the way, has been an annual pilgrimage for her for the last 4 years.

A keen shot, Gul’s also very good with handling guns and has been shooting skeet and rifle since her early teens. She often shoots with and trains under her brother Sherbir who’s a national level shooter. Shooting helps her maintain focus and tests her concentration to its limits. She has set her sights on, one day, entering the arena of competitive shooting.

Bitten by the Travel Bug…
A hunger to visit new places always sees her taking off to lesser-known destinations. She feels the more she travels, the more she learns and absorbs in her persona and thus the more she can give to each role she portrays. Seeing her passion for traveling to offbeat places, Visit Finland has appointed her their honorary Brand Ambassador in India. Her current agenda is to visit every single World Wonder (ancient and now, modern). Up next is a visit planned to the stone city of Petra in Jordan and lots more of Finland.

Love for Horses…
Even though Gul keeps very busy with work, she regularly takes out time to ride. She’s been riding since she was ten years old and hasn’t stopped since. As a young girl, she also participated and won medals in various Equestrian events. Whether in Mumbai or when visiting her parents, horses are always a part of her life and she thoroughly enjoys time spent riding in tandem with the horse.

Marathon Runner…
That she’s is in fabulous shape is a well know fact, but little known is that behind all of that is a very tough and strong core. Gul has very high levels of endurance and strength as is clear from her track record of running marathons. She has run the Mumbai International Marathon every year since its start and regularly trains to keep up her stamina. And all this “just for the fun of it!”.