Jimmy Sheirgill’s love affair with Punjabi films

Brut India

When Jimmy Sheirgill decoded a scene from Maachis for Brut... he also spoke about Gulzar, Irrfan Khan, and his love for Punjabi films.  : Jimmy Sheirgill

Transcript

00:00There was a main scene in which I talk about my flashback.

00:05I remember I got two toffees in that scene.

00:08Jimmy used to call me.

00:09And then I decided every year I'll do one Punjabi film.

00:13Hi, this is Jimmy Shergill and you're watching me on Brute.

00:17What was the experience like working on the film set of Matches?

00:20We heard Gulzar sir used to give a toffee if somebody did a scene well.

00:23So Gulzar sir, yeah, I mean whenever somebody gave a very good shot, he would get a toffee.

00:28And so many times we used to get a toffee in a song or a scene.

00:34If somebody did a very good job, we used to get two toffees.

00:36So there was a main scene in which I talk about my flashback.

00:41I remember I got two toffees in that scene.

00:44Whenever we would go to Gulzar sir, he would say,

00:49You'll do very good.

00:50That man just knew that he will be able to take out work from all these people.

00:55And I realized that in the first schedule when I was not shooting.

00:58I was on the sets almost like an assistant.

01:01And I saw him take out work from that dog, that Alsatian.

01:06Oh my God, I said,

01:12I think we are in good hands.

01:14And that's how brilliant he is with his actors.

01:17He just pampers you.

01:19He just makes you deliver your best.

01:22I still remember we used to be so psyched up.

01:24Me and Rocky, we used to be just talking about the film.

01:27About the role and how the scenes would happen.

01:30And we would go to meet Gulzar sir the next day.

01:33And he would say,

01:39You guys are young people. You should go out. You should party.

01:46Aniruddin Haseel again.

01:47Teghmanshu narrated the entire film to me.

01:49My first reaction obviously was that the film belongs to Irrfan Khan's character.

01:56So I said, you know, who's doing that?

01:58He said Irrfan is doing it.

02:00And how was it working with Irrfan sir on that set?

02:03So amazing. He was so involved with the film.

02:07Even when his scenes were not there, he would be there.

02:09He would come and correct your makeup.

02:12If there was some blood or something to be put.

02:14My thing was that he was somebody who was much senior.

02:18It was a very nice, cordial, elder brother, younger brother kind of a relationship.

02:31You've worked extensively and succeeded both in Punjabi films and in Hindi films.

02:36What are some of the differences you see in how both the industries operate?

02:39I'll start with something else.

02:41I'll tell you what happened.

02:42I was doing my Hindi films.

02:44And Manmohan Singh ji, the cinematographer of Machis, Mohabbatein, all these films,

02:48started making Punjabi films.

02:50He made a couple of Punjabi films in the early 2000s,

02:53which became very big hits overseas.

02:56His idea was that how can we also target the Punjabis within the country.

03:04And one day we met at some function.

03:08And he said that, you know, I have a concept.

03:10I don't know whether you will be willing to come in and do a Punjabi film,

03:16regional film, because you're doing your Hindi films.

03:19But still, I would want you to hear it.

03:21And he narrated me the story of Yara Naal Bahara.

03:35Even though I had already told him that, Manji,

03:38any time, any film for you, you tell me, I'll close my eyes.

03:42I don't even want to listen to the story.

03:43But he said, listen to it.

03:45And then I heard the story and I heard the script and I loved it.

03:48And I was like, OK, great, super.

03:51We are doing this.

03:52And I just went, did the film and came back

03:56with good intentions that I'm doing it for Manji.

03:59I come back and I got busy with my Hindi movies.

04:02All of a sudden that film released.

04:05Apparently in a theater of, say, a 1500 capacity, there were 2000 people.

04:10There was madness.

04:12And it had just released with like 1920 prints.

04:15And it was a huge thing at that point of time.

04:17Yash Raj Films released the movie.

04:19I was like, you know, I started getting calls from there and everything.

04:22I got really emotional.

04:23I said, oh, my God, this is, that means this can turn out to be a huge industry.

04:29And I started talking to distributors.

04:31They would call me up and they would say, oh, my God, what is this?

04:34My mind was thinking of something else.

04:36I was like, this can be a very, very big industry.

04:39And then I decided every year I'll do one Punjabi film.

04:43It was not just for those 30, 40 days that I was shooting is what the dates I was giving.

04:50No, apart from that, I would take out two, three months only for the promotions.

04:54At that point of time, it was more like you buy your own ticket.

04:57I would call up friends in Canada and say, I'm coming here, bro.

05:01We need to promote this film and all that, whatever.

05:03Nothing, just with a ticket, I've landed up with a suitcase and gone there.

05:08And they would take care of everything, taking you to the radios.

05:13We were knocking every single door and saying our Punjabi films are not that bad.

05:17Just please come and watch our Punjabi films.

05:19So each year till 2009, 2010, when Mail Karate Rabba happened.

05:24And finally, it just shattered all the records.

05:27And it was like first time in Bollywood trade, people started recognizing a Punjabi film.

05:35And then I said, this was my dream.

05:37I want this to become a self-sufficient industry like a South industry is like everywhere.

05:44And the day Mail Karate Rabba happened and post that, Punjabi films started doing well and everything.

05:49I just felt that my dream was realized.

05:51Thank God for it.

05:57Yeah.

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