In the beginning the imprint that Diljit left on the audience was that of a chocolaty, romantic singer but after performing ‘Panga’ with Honey Singh he came to considered as an aggressive one. He was roasted for preparation for long in filmy and pop songs. Even during this period controversies did not leave him but he concentrated thoroughly on his work. We got to see a reflection of his old self in one of his recent album ‘Back to Basics’. Even in the films he acted the characters he played were a bit aggressive by nature. But starting from the film ‘Jatt and Juliet’, he came across as a typical fun-loving Punjabi guy, a character that was widely appreciated. And now that the sequel of the same film is about to be released, we talked to him about his films and his life.
Punjabi cinema reached new heights with ‘Jatt and Juliet’. A remake of the film is being made in Bollywood. What would say about that?
This is good for us. Bollywood produces remakes of Hollywood, South. I am happy that our film has made us turn towards Punjab. The Punjabi are reigning in Bollywood. Even more films should be there in Punjabi, and the Bollywood should stay prepared to produce their remakes.
You have even sung for Bollywood films and they have been popular. How excited are you for playback in Bollywood?
I did the song ‘Pee ke Peepa’, from movie ‘Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya’ for director Mandeep Singh; the title song of ‘Dad ki Maruti’ for my lyricist friend Kumar and the latest ‘Main taan edan hi nachna’ for the movie ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana 2’ out of my love for the Deol family. Till now I have not made any special effort to enter into Bollywood. Whatever work I have done there has been for my friends. Regarding my future you’ll know in future.
‘Jatt and Juliet 2’ is about to be released. Is the story of the movie in continuation of the first part or is it altogether a new story?
No, not at all! If we had to extend the story of the first part, Fateh Singh and Pooja would have been married. And had this happened the story would have been finished. The story is altogether new, though the character is the same with new outlook and style. We are bringing the same character in totally fresh situations. The story is as entertaining and fun-filled as the previous one.
What homework did you do to portray the character of Fateh Singh on screen?
If I reply honestly, nothing at all. I am exactly Fateh Singh in my real life. Fateh Singh is an innocent, ordinary Punjabi lad, who can be found in any village. The one who is clear at heart and no meanness. He speaks what he feels at heart. And that is why I didn’t have to prepare at all to play this character. It is a raw character, which moulds itself according to the situation and is one with the surroundings.
We can see you donning the uniform of a police constable in this film. What is the reaction of the Punjab police?
~ Punjab police is liking this character very much. The new recruits are even happier. I hope that a positive image of Punjab police will be presented through this film. Youngsters will be encouraged to join the police force.
There are many experienced actors working in the film. How comfortable do you feel with them?
They are all my seniors. I get to learn from them every moment. People like B.N. Sharma and Jaswinder Bhalla are real actors. (Laughs) For me it was just a guess that proved right! These people do a lot of hard work to improve their acting skills. They put in their best efforts to bring out their best in every character. And the most important thing is that they are all humble and leave no stone unturned in keeping their co-stars comfortable. I am lucky that I got a chance to learn from such experienced actors.
The actors that you had worked with are now doing many films in one year. It seems you are very choosy?
I have been choosy from the very beginning. I have done very less number of films and earned a lot. (Laughs) The money that I had earned has been taken away by the income-tax people.
After this a film entitled ‘Mukhtiar Chaddha’ will be released in September, in which I am playing the lead role of Mukhtiar Chaddha. The film is being directed by Gifty. Apart from this I had promised my fans that I would be releasing a religious song every year. I will try my best to do justice to that task as well. I am also working on my next music album. Let the right time come and I’ll talk to you about those things as well.