Prreit Kamal: The actress talked about her film's delay resulting in two back-to-back releases, working with the likes of Amardeep Singh Gill and Ninja and much more.

Actress Prreit Kamal remains unperturbed about an almost one-year delay to her upcoming movie 'Marjaney'. Having made her debut in the Punjabi film industry in Amrit Raj Chadha's 'Saab Bahadar' (2017), Kamal was slated to have her second release after more than three years.

Having said that, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to elongate the delay faced by not just Marjaney but many other movies across the globe. In an interview with Punjabi Mania, Kamal laid emphasis on looking at the positive side saying that the delay hasn't frustrated her.

"If you look at the positive side, I will have two back-to-back releases now, which I believe is great as an actor. And it [delay] is not in our hands. COVID-19 has affected the whole world. There were no other films getting released too. I mostly stay positive in life. Don't get frustrated easily," Kamal told Punjabi Mania.

With a few Hindi movies releasing in cinema halls in the last two months or so, Kamal revealed that there were some talks around Marjaney's release this year but nothing came to fruition as the whole team mutually decided to play the "waiting game".

"There were some talks of releasing Marjaney in May [2021]. But the Hindi movies which had released recently couldn't do that well. It's not just about the business. There's this safety concern which still bothers people with respect to visiting the cinema halls. With the second wave [of COVID-19] upon us, it's better to stay home and wait for the right time.

"When it's meant to be, all pending films will surely release in the cinema halls. Honestly speaking, as an actor also, I would love to see myself on the big screen. We have mutually decided to wait for some time as Marjaney is an out-and-out theatrical experience. People wouldn't like watching it on their TV screens or mobile phones via an OTT platform," Kamal said.

On working with Amardeep Singh Gill

In Marjaney, Kamal has worked with director Amardeep Singh Gill, who is best known for directing the 'Jora' series. Kamal, who hadn't met Gill until Marjaney was offered to her, expressed admiration for his "strong vision" with respect to cinema.



"When I had written that [aforementioned] caption, it was not just for the director but for the overall person. I met him for the first time during this film only. Living in Delhi, I hadn't had the opportunity of watching 'Jora 10 Numbaria' [2017]. It was during the shoot of Marjaney that we all watched 'Jora: The Second Chapter' [2020] together in cinema halls and his work was incredible.

"I understood upon meeting him that that he has a strong vision. Some directors don't have it. It was only after working with Amardeep bhaji that I realized that one should work more with directors like him. Big faces mean nothing to him. All he wanted was good actors and you will observe the same in the movie," Kamal added.

On working with the likes of Ninja, Jaswinder Bhalla and BN Sharma

In addition to Marjaney, Kamal will also be seen in Sagar S. Sharma's 'Phir Mamlaa Gadbad Hai'. Announced in October last year, the shoot of the movie has already been completed. In a recent interview with The Times of India, Kamal had revealed that she was "awestruck" after meeting singer-turned-actor Ninja for the first time during the poster launch of the movie.

"He [Ninja] is just so good-looking. When I saw him for the first time, I was like 'Wow!'. See, there's always a screen presence but sometimes a person looks even better in real-life. I mean I had listened to some of his songs in the past but working with him made me awestruck not just because of the looks but also because of a genuine soul.

"He speaks very less which is a good thing about him. If you spend time with him, you automatically get to know that he's a good soul. He has a positive vibe attached to him. Very sweet that way. Who wouldn't be awestruck meeting such a person for the first time [laughs]," Kamal mentioned.

In addition to Ninja and Kamal, Phir Mamalaa Gadbad Hai also stars veteran actors such as BN Sharma and Jaswinder Bhalla in pivotal roles. Labeling the experience of working with Sharma and Bhalla as a "learning curve", Kamal disclosed how the former never visits the monitor after giving a shot. Instead, judges his work by the tone of his dialogue delivery.

"It is for the first time that I am working in a comedy movie. Light-hearted romantic movies are different but this is a laughter riot. I swear to god, I didn't even realize how quickly [28 days] we shot the movie. Only one song is left now. The atmosphere on the set was second to none. When people like BN [Sharma] sir and Jaswinder Bhalla ji performed, the whole unit used to literally clap after their scenes.



"Working with them was such a learning experience. So, BN sir never visits the monitor to see his shots. And I was like we people are so concerned about our looks, hairstyle, makeup etc. all the time. But these seasoned actors just know that they've delivered what was expected out of them. BN sir told me that he never developed this habit of watching himself on the monitor," Kamal further said.

In the general run of things, actresses are cast in a comic Punjabi movie just to enact the role of the leading actor's love interest. In order to break the mundane routine, Kamal made it a point to show her calibre and not just be present in the movie for the sake of it.

"If you've seen the poster, our movie revolves around money and two-faced people. Whatever happens is majorly because of my character. I am named Preet in the movie as well and it is because of her that the mamlaa goes gadbad.

"I told the writer [Kumar Ajay] during the narration that I just don't want to be seen opposite the actor. I want to perform and show my calibre. Having worked in the movie now, I can assure you that you will see a lot of actors in new avatars in this movie. Trust me, you will have fun," Kamal further added.

Prreit Kamal opens up on relocating to Mohali

Originally from Delhi, Kamal has most recently relocated to Mohali and liked the city instantly. Sharing that she wanted to move here because of the Punjabi industry for a few years, Kamal considered it to be a "high time" now especially with a couple of upcoming movies.

"No. It wasn't a tough decision at all. I wanted to move [to Punjab] from the last two-three years only. After working in 'Saab Bahadar', I had thought about it as the industry is based in here. You have to be here. Have to be seen. Out of sight is out of mind.

"When you live here, you see so many people [from the industry]. Because I work in this industry, it becomes necessary for me to live here only. A couple of films are releasing and there are talks with other people also. It was high time for me to be here. I like this place a lot. Even my parents appear to have found a liking [for the city]. I mean they've visited me four times in the last one month," Kamal concluded.