Jagdeep Sidhu recalls breaking the ice with Diljit Dosanjh during Shadaa's shoot

Jagdeep Sidhu recalls breaking the ice with Diljit Dosanjh: Shadaa's director opened up on various aspects of the movie ahead of its release.

From thinking of narrating film scripts to director-turned-producer Anurag Singh in a garden in Mumbai to being actually offered a film by him, writer-turned-director Jagdeep Sidhu has come a long way in the Punjabi film industry.

The modesty in Sidhu makes him say that he has received "early success" in the Punjabi industry. Perhaps, his extreme toil during his formative years in Mumbai makes him feel that way about his success. Although after a specific time period, hard yards put in the past do reap fruits. Don't they?

With his directorial debut in 'Qismat' being eulogized by one and all, Jagdeep Sidhu is all set to make public his second movie titled 'Shadaa' on June 21. In an interview with Punjabi Mania, Sidhu disclosed how he got onboard and how the concept of Shadaa excited him.

"I admire Anurag [Singh] bhaji a lot. I had received a call from him. He offered this movie to me. It was Diljit [Dosanjh] bhaji's idea to do a movie on Shadaa. It was a big deal for me to receive a call from Anurag bhaji regarding doing a movie with Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa.

"Talking of the subject, Shadaa has always been a character in the villages of Punjab which makes people laugh at will. His own life might be very sad but he brings laughter in others' lives," Sidhu was quoted as saying.

On expectations post Qismat

There is no going in a safe house about the fact that Shadaa is being eagerly awaited with superabundant expectations. While the lead pair of Dosanjh and Bajwa allures eyeballs at whim, Sidhu coming on the back of a movie like Qismat has only added to the escalated expectations.

"Qismat and Shadaa are two very different movies. It was my personal decision to do a different type of movie after Qismat. I didn't want to get typecast. So, there's no comparison between both the movies. Hence, there's no pressure [on me]," Sidhu said on being asked if he feels any pressure before the release of his second movie.

During an interview before Qismat's release, Sidhu had talked about the first film being a director's most honest attempt at film-making. Asked if he had to compromise with his honesty while shooting Shadaa, Sidhu denied anything or anyone coming in between him and his craft.

"Despite the presence of so many senior names, there wasn't an iota of pressure on me to do things in a specific manner. I had that freedom both creatively and production-wise.

"As far as the first movie being the most honest attempt is concerned, I meant that it is your own pressure [to deliver] on yourself. You yourself create boundaries and parameters for yourself to make sure that the movie receives its fair share of box-office collection as well as appreciations from the critics," Sidhu added.

Jagdeep Sidhu recalls breaking the ice with Diljit Dosanjh

In recent interviews, Sidhu had been vocal about feeling nervous before directing Dosanjh. Admitting the same, Sidhu put it down to both of them not meeting each other much before the shoot commenced. The director also revealed an exercise he did to break the ice with the actor.

"He [Diljit Dosanjh] is a big star. Before the shoot, I had never got the opportunity to have a casual conversation with him. I had written the dialogues for 'Super Singh' (2017) but I only met him on the last day for a brief chat.

"He didn't know me at a personal level. I wasn't sure of his temperament or what he likes. This was the reason why I was a bit nervous initially. In a bid to break the ice, what I did on purpose was frequently visited him to give him the scenes. I was of the opinion that if I go myself, I would explain him the scene and also talk about other random things. I believed it really helped in the long run," Sidhu mentioned.

More projects lined up

Other than Shadaa, Sidhu has another movie as a director scheduled to release this year. While he informed us that he will complete the three-day shoot of 'Surkhi Bindi' after Shadaa's promotions get over, he also explained how shooting that movie was a new experience altogether for him.

"The best part about Surkhi Bindi is that it is totally a different film [from Qismat and Shadaa]. The plus point about that movie is that it I haven't written the script. Rupinder Inderjit has written the script. It will be the first time that I am working on someone else's story," Sidhu concluded.

With Sidhu jumping from strength to strength, here is hoping for his "early success" to transform into continual success.

About Dixit Bhargav

<p>Engineer. Sports Management student. Cricket enthusiast. Ardent follower of the Punjabi cinema.</p>