Singer Jassie Gill credits his colleague Diljit Dosanjh with getting Bollywood interested in musicians and actors from Punjab. “Daljit paaji told Bollywood what a real Punjabi is. All the Punjabis before this were fakes —they’d wear fake turbans, speak in an affected manner and even the way they carried themselves would look fake to people in Punjab,” Jassie told t2 recently. Jassie, who has also acted in Punjabi films, is making his Bollywood debut alongside Sonakshi Sinha in the Aanand L. Rai-produced Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi. Jassie shared with t2 his journey from music to films and why he never complains about clicking selfies with fans. 

Was acting always a part of the plan?

Singing always was because I knew I could hold a tune. But not acting... I didn’t even know I could act. They say everyone has hidden skills and that’s why children are sent to school for the teacher to bring these out. So I probably had it in me but was only aware of my singing skills. 

So how did you discover that you could act?

Earlier, music videos in Punjab didn’t necessarily have anything to do with the lyrics of the song but a new trend started where the spirit of what the song says needed to be captured in three minutes. And as I kept doing these videos, I went through depicting a range of emotions, because some songs are happy while others are sad; that’s how I discovered acting. And when a producer approached me the first time about an acting role, I felt I could do it. Over time, as people appreciated me, I felt I was doing this better. 

How did Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi happen?

It’s an interesting story. I got a call from Colour Yellow production house saying Mudassar Aziz (the film’s director) wanted to meet me. I didn’t know who they were, so I googled them. When posters of Tanu Weds Manu, Happy Bhag Jayegi, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan popped up, I realised that this was a big deal. 

When I met Mudassar Sir, he asked me to tell him about myself and I spoke about how I started work. He then told me he wanted me to play a character that was “me”, the way I spoke and looked. He had seen a song of mine, Nakhre, where the character I play in the video matches my nature and behaviour in real life. 

I hadn’t seen the first film (Happy Bhag Jayegi)  but I had heard good things and that it had done well. He then told me that a screen-test would be required for the rest of the team, so I came back to Mumbai and took it. But he told me in the beginning itself that he liked me for the part and that it was a done deal. It was like one of those fantasies where you pick up a guy from a village and make him the hero of a film. 

I hear that Sonakshi Sinha is one of your favourite actresses. What was it like romancing her on screen?

‘Lucky’ and ‘blessed’ are two words that I use very often because they best describe my life. I never even thought I’d ever meet her, because when you like someone and they’re your favourite, the most you ever hope for is to click a selfie with them. When I was told that Sonakshi was playing the role opposite me, it felt like a dream. And then I thought, maybe it’s a small part and there would be a few scenes. But when I read the script, I realised what it was. 

We shot for about 15 days and I still couldn’t muster enough courage to ask her to click a picture with me. On the last day, in Amritsar, I asked my manager to go and ask her if she’d click a picture with me. Of course, she immediately agreed. When I finally posted that picture on Instagram, my followers were happier for me than I was. They understood what a big deal it was for me. That’s also when I realised how difficult it must be for a fan to approach a celebrity to ask for a picture; I had never given it a thought before and how hurtful it must be when you refuse them. I never refuse a fan when they approach me. 

Was there something new you discovered about acting while shooting this film?

I always thought that the acting we did in Punjabi films wasn’t very technical. When I was there, I was responding to scenes and situations the way I, Jassie Gill, would. When I came here, I was in an acting workshop for 20 days, where I was taught to build up a backstory for my character and respond to scenes through the lens of my character. It’s something I’ve learnt and am now applying to my roles in Punjabi films as well.
 

 

It’s been about seven years since you first tasted success as a singer. How much has life changed?

It’s amazing that you asked me this because just last night, I was lying in bed and thinking about my family’s home in Jandali (a village in Ludhiana district) where I grew up. I now live in Canada with my family. I started to think how far I’ve come, and how life in my village wouldn’t have changed much, except that our house is empty. This made me very sad, so I decided that I should spend a week or two there once a year at least. I am normally a very positive person but thinking about my empty home in the village made me sad. 

Are more Hindi films on the cards? 

Yes, I have but I can’t speak about it yet. It’ll be announced in a few days but I can tell you it’s a very good production house. 

Karishma Upadhyay