Diljit Dosanjh is one of the most sought-after stars in Punjabi cinema. In his debut Hindi film Udta Punjab, his performance was hailed and lauded by masses. And in his next, Phillauri, he will be seen with Anushka Sharma.
But as per the singer-turned-actor, he is an accidental movie star. “I feel happy when people hire me only as an actor. Then I think they are serious about me. They don’t just want me to sing for their movie,” said Diljit to popular daily, whose songs like Ikk Kudi & Proper Patola are hugely popular. He added, “When I’m offered a film, I don’t ask whether I will be singing any of the movie’s tracks. For example, in my next, I haven’t sung anything till now, unless they come up with a promotional song. I end up singing in most of my Punjabi films because that saves my Punjabi producer’s money. But my independent music scene is going good, so I’m not hungry to sing for films. Being able to sing for myself is enough for me.”
While his role in the two film industries may differ slightly, Diljit doesn’t think the Hindi and Punjabi industries are much opposite to each other. “Punjabi picture bhi theatre main lagti hai aur Hindi bhi (Both Punjabi and Hindi films are shown in cinemas). Maybe the number of audience members and theaters will be more (for Hindi movies), but the passion is the same. The only difference is that Hindi cinema has more money than its Punjabi counterpart. But things will get better with time,” he said.
Diljit feels how much a film earns at the box office is important. “My Punjabi films have made good numbers. It is because of these numbers that I was offered Bollywood movies … numbers speak for themselves,” shared the actor.
==> Pinkvilla
