Gabbar Sangrur: This 'Gabbar' is not a villain but a real-life hero

Gabbar Sangrur: The man who has worked in several capacities in the film industry has delivered his career-best performance amidst a global pandemic.

The word 'Gabbar' automatically reminds Indians of a cold-blooded villain played by late actor Amjad Khan in Ramesh Sippy's 'Sholay' (1975). The conviction with which Khan played the antagonist was such that the word 'Gabbar' has been etched as a synonym of cruelty among Indians.

With the modern world struggling to cope with a villain named COVID-19 pandemic, 'Gabbar' has emerged after four and a half decades not as a villain but as a real-life hero.

Gabbar Sangrur, who has worked as a line producer, writer, director and a lyricist across the Hindi and Punjabi film industries, is leading the way with respect to arranging buses for migrants and providing many other kinds of assistance during the global crisis.

In an interview with Punjabi Mania, Gabbar revealed how a compassionate side in him usually keeps books in the car for distributing them to needy children or distributes blankets in winters to people sleeping on roads. Having said that, the challenge put forward by the coronavirus wasn't this straightforward.

"[Before the nationwide lockdown was announced] I was in Mumbai from the last 3-4 months. Just when the panic was starting to begin, I thought of coming back to Punjab as my parents wanted the same. I am a firm believer in the notion that the youngsters should come forward in difficult situations," Gabbar said.

"When the lockdown was announced, I uploaded a post that if anyone in my circle seeks any kind of help, he/she can contact me. I was confident of helping people from a personal capacity or maybe arrange something for them from the authorities.

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"My first priority were the people working under me. I called each one of them to ask if they need anything. The best part was that none of them expressed any greed and ensured me that they are making ends meet. Then I received a call from CROWD regarding the need for ration. I had arranged a [travel] pass for myself by then. When we helped one person, there were four other people who also needed help and this is how everything began," Gabbar added.

Gabbar, whose line production company named The Theatre Army films has taken care of many Hindi and Punjabi films, soon started to take care of migrants who were walking back woefully from Punjab to their villages in different states of the country.

"We were around Zirakpur one [late] night when I came across the dreadful sight of migrants walking to their native places. In the absence of trains and buses, they had no other option than to walk. With this becoming a regular affair, we started distributing packets of food to those people. We repeatedly met the same people for 4-5 days and this is when the thought of sending them back to their villages [in Uttar Pradesh] struck us. I mean their life had become a daunting task. Irrespective of one's earnings, living on highways without any amenity is not what people deserve.

"I called some of my friends and we all were on the same page regarding arranging buses for migrants. On the first day, we had arranged four buses but could only send one due to limited options of medical screening available. We were informed from the DC office [in Mohali] that the government is starting more trains for migrants. Since arranging a bus is very expensive, we additionally thought of sending people back via trains. I mean the same money [spent on a bus] can be used for helping migrants in other ways," Gabbar mentioned.

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Gabbar, who expressed gratitude towards the DC Office in Mohali for constantly supporting his team, highlighted how his team aimed at fulfilling the gap between the migrants and the government. Having sent around 10 buses till now, Gabbar mentioned how his teammates stood by him amidst a pandemic.

"We soon realized that there was a gap between the migrants and the government. We started sharing information with the migrants so that they could reap fruits from governmental policies. Moreover, we ensured the migrants that they don't need to panic as they will be taken care of [by us]. In these times, talking to someone and giving them slight hope and confidence holds a great importance. Eventually, they also understood that patience might help them.

"We coordinated very well to the extent that we started dropping people at various railway stations [Ambala, Ludhiana etc.]. I believe people were devoid of information and our guidance started helping them. All in all, we have sent some 10-12 buses till now. While we used our connections very well, we also received assistance from some other organizations like Khalsa Aid, Highway Help, Forever Friends and Sanjhi Sikhya. I would also like to thank DSP Rupinder Sra, Advocate RP Singh ji, Sanjeev Gaur and Anish Garg for their support," Gabbar further said.

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Crediting former actress Barkha Madan as their guide during these tough times, Gabbar disclosed how collecting funds to arrange buses was never a problem for them. "You won't believe that all these things weren't difficult to execute. By the grace of god, I am doing well financially but more importantly, it was my circle which came together to show strong resolute and our team has collectively achieved to make all this possible.

"I have realized that there is no shortage of educated and sympathetic people in India. These bunch of people form a vital part of our country because of what they do to help others. On an average, one bus costs you around INR 1.5 lakh which amounts to a lot of money in the larger picture. Having said that, we never faced any monetary issue. A lot of generous people from both India and overseas contributed and we can't thank them enough in return for their unwavering support," Gabbar said thankfully.

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Apart from all these initiatives, Gabbar also talked about his team joining hands to help people with their house rents and gas cylinders. Gabbar, who directed Punjabi web-series titled 'Gangland in Motherland' (2018), admitted to not finding time to work on professional lines since the lockdown.

"We work for ourselves throughout our lives. Considering the scale of this pandemic, I don't think we can witness anything more severe and dangerous again in our lifetime. When I used to see people walking with their families, it felt as if it was 1947 again. I am sure any regular emotional person who had spoken to migrants during these days must have helped them in some way or the other.

"The thought of ladies planning to walk with their newborn babies for 13-14 days was disheartening. I wouldn't deny that I had some writing work pending but just couldn't complete it after witnessing all that has happened in the last two-three months. When I started helping people, I felt that this is my story and this is my web-series and that I should complete this first before resuming my professional work. If god has chosen me for this work, I can't think of turning my back towards it," Gabbar concluded.

About Dixit Bhargav

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