Pride of Pollywood: Director Anurag Singh

Director Anurag Singh

Having blockbuster movies under his kitty, director Anurag Singh is not a new name now in Punjabi film industry. With three super blockbuster flicks back-to-back, namely Jatt & Juliet 1 and 2, Punjab 1984 he has made off us proud. Better-half of a talented actress Madhurjeet Sarghi who belongs to Jalandhar, it makes a special connection. I was really honored covering this outstanding thinker and director for my newspaper.

Excerpt from his interview...

Your background
I come from a family which is purely not associated with films. My initial education was in Amritsar and Jalandhar. Later, I did my graduation in Media Arts from Australia. After that I landed up in Mumbai and assisted Mr. Raj Kanwar in direction before turning into an independent director.

Did you expect the same marvelous response for 1984 prior releasing? 
We knew we had made a good film and were keen to know how the audience would react to this subject. There was a certain expectation that we will get a decent response from the audience but we never expected that the response would be so amazing.

After making two comedy blockbuster movies, how and why the idea of bringing serious cinema came into your mind?
The thinking behind doing this film was NOT that we want to do a serious film. We, as a team, have always believed in doing what we want to do and what our heart tells us to do. We always choose a story on its merits and if we feel that there is a story that we want to make into a film and it is a story that we will enjoy filming, we go ahead and do it. As far as this story was concerned, it is something that I have always wanted to do ever since my student days. Fortunately, even Diljit also wanted to do something about this subject. So once I narrated the story to him and once the producers were on board, things just fell into place.

What were the difficulties faced during the shoot of Punjab 1984?
The shoot went off smoothly as far as locations and permissions were concerned as our production team is really efficient. The only issue that I had to think about was the fact that making a movie on this kind of subject is a huge responsibility and we didn't want to end up doing something that would be considered frivolous or immature. This is a subject that deals with actual incidents and it shows what people actually went through in those times. So we had to be very careful with the material and with how things were presented. That was our biggest concern.

What do you enjoy the most - directing serious or comedy films?
Actually I just enjoy making movies whether comedy or serious. I guess comedy movies are more fun to make while serious movies are more satisfying and enriching.

Your take on present state of Punjabi cinema.
Well, Punjabi cinema is still in its infancy. It will take some more time before it get mature. I feel Punjabi cinema is on the brink of some major changes. Hopefully these changes will be for the better. Hopefully we will see different kinds of subjects and genres being explored by the film makers and hopefully these will be endorsed by the audience.

What you do in your leisure time?
I like to watch films or read books whenever I get time

Are you in favor of giving chance to freshers in your films?
If an actor suits a role and if he/she is talented, we cast him/her irrespective of the fact whether he/she is new or seasoned. I think I have had new talent involved in all my films be it actors, background singers, music directors or writers

Your message for youths.
I am not some leader or a saint or a teacher that I can give a message to the youth. Youth today is pretty clued into all that is happening and they all know what they want from life. I don't think they want to hear a message from some film director.  So all i want to say is good luck with whatever you want to do in life. God will bless you all!

Note: The article was originally published in The Times of India supplement Jalandhar Times.