Sheetal
Chamkila chamka aise mein cham cham chamkilahellip; just like Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila, the Netflix biopic made on him is also garnering the same applause. And with it came along a big battalion of local actors from Punjab, who we were able to make a mark as well — whether they were featured in a music video or had only three-four scenes in the whole film!
Working with the magician of a filmmaker, Imtiaz Ali, is all that mattered for actors Pranav Vashisht and Jashn Kohli. The Chandigarh-born artistes were elated to be part of the film.
Pranav had been assisting casting director Mukesh Chhabra in recruiting actors for the film, but bagged a role as well. “Working closely with Imtiaz Ali in Amar Singh Chamkila has changed the way I look at filmmaking. I was taking auditions for the role of Pamma and eventually got to play him,” he said.
The first scene that I had to shoot was that of seeing dead bodies of Amarjot Kaur (Parineeti) and Amar Singh Chamkila (Dilji). And Imtiaz sir actually wanted to grab that sense of shock and confusion. The most surprising thing was he would never look at the monitor, but only see actors performing in front of his eyes. Jashn Kohli
Second-time lucky
Jashn, on the other hand, was in touch with Imtiaz when he was looking for actors for the film Tamasha. While he couldn’t make the cut then, Kohli landed the role of Amarjot Kaur’s brother, Pappu. Says Jashn, “Diljit Dosanjh playing the lead was definitely a bonus, as I was already proud of being in Imtiaz Ali’s film. I want to play the lead in his film someday.” Instructions from Imtiaz were simple. “I was not given any script, so at first it was tough. But it soon became a learning experience. The first scene that I had to shoot was that of seeing dead bodies of Amarjot Kaur (Parineeti Chopra) and Amar Singh Chamkila (Diljit Dosanjh). And Imtiaz sir actually wanted to grab that sense of shock and confusion. The most surprising thing was he would never look at the monitor, but only see actors performing in front of his big eyes. And that makes him different from the crowd,” he adds.
It is one of the best times for Punjabi actors. We all know Punjab offers really talented actors, musicians and singers but with films focusing on stories from Punjab now, it will help the budding crop of talent. They do not have to move to Mumbai to become an actor. Pranav Vashisht
However, it didn’t mean there was no homework — Jashn was told to grow his beard three months before the shooting began! Jashn hails Diljit for representing Sikh actors in Bollywood. “He has broken the stereotype. Diljit has encouraged other actors to follow him.”
No dearth of talent
Pranav further shares, “It is one of the best times for Punjabi actors. We all know Punjab offers really talented actors, musicians and singers but with films focusing on stories from Punjab now, it will help the budding crop of talent. They do not have to move to Mumbai to become an actor.”
Jashn, who himself moved back from Mumbai many years ago, feels there are lot of opportunities if one stays positive and believes in taking action than just contemplating. “When I came back to Chandigarh, I thought of trying my luck in Pollywood. But it had its own share of issues, where the same set of actors were overworked and new talent ignored. It took me some time and hard work to finally bag a Punjabi film, Zahankilla, as the lead. It’s based on Punjab police and I am glad to share that I auditioned for this role. It’s the first Punjabi film where there was a casting director to choose the right actors.”
Meanwhile, for both Pranav and Jashn Amar Singh Chamkila will always remain special!