With two Bollywood films and the upcoming Punjabi romantic comedy Shadaa, singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh is quite occupied in his professional life. But he says neither his approach nor his discipline towards his work has changed over the years.
On the freedom that fame and success has got him, Diljit told IANS, "Nothing. I start my journey from zero on every Friday. We are in a profession where we are almost starting our career with every release. We actors and singers have to perform well and maintain consistency with every show, with every film.
"People are always interested to know about our present work and future plans, so I have to prove myself. And with success and growing opportunity, I have to maintain the regularity."
Diljit's acting journey began with the film The Lion of Punjab in 2011. He came into focus as an actor with the National Award-winning film Punjab 1984.
On whether now after starring in 20 films across Hindi and Punjabi industries, he is comfortable with the camera, Diljit said, "Every time, I am playing different characters. So every day is a new day. I am not easy with it like that... Every time I am doing something new, so it is the same feeling of that of a newcomer."
In the film Shadaa, he plays a wedding photographer who has himself crossed a marriageable age. "It was quite an interesting role for me to play. This is the first time I am playing a photographer. I have a friend who is a photographer and I spent a lot of time with him, so getting the certain body language and nuance was quite easy," Diljit said.
On why most Punjabi youth desire to settle down abroad, Diljit says the answer lies in unemployment. "That is why they are moving out of Punjab to Canada, Australia and various places in Europe. Who wants to leave their family and go. It is only the job opportunity that is taking them away... Yes, it is a real issue," he said.
Shadaa will have a nationwide release. Diljit sees a potential for business of regional films across India but is concerned about less number of screens for the movie. "Of course we will not get that many numbers of screens in cities like Mumbai or Delhi, the way we have a wide release in Punjab. Having said that, we want to reach out to people... and it is only natural that regional cinema will earn better business in its own region. We are releasing this film with subtitles so all kinds of people can enjoy it.
"I personally prefer watching a film with subtitles rather than a dubbed version because sometimes the essence does not come across if you dub a Punjabi dialogue in Hindi," he explained.
Diljit made his Bollywood debut with Udta Punjab in 2016 and ever since, he hasn't looked back. In the last three years, he has done several Hindi films, including Phillauri, Welcome to New York, Soorma and the upcoming Arjun Patiala and Good News.
Whether it is in his music or choice of film, Diljit has always believed in maintaining a fine balance between creative satisfaction and commercial success. "As an artiste, I would continue doing experimental work and not all the experiments have to be commercially successful. Last year, when I did Sajjan Singh Rangroot, the film was not a super-hit but it was a story worth telling," he said, adding that he equally enjoyed shooting a rom-com like Shadaa.
"The idea is to make films so that producers can earn money and I can keep doing my experimental work side by side. I also enjoy doing such comedy, light-hearted commercial films."
Directed by Jagdeep Sidhu, Shadaa also features Neeru Bajwa, and is releasing on June 21.
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