The biggest crowd-puller element in the forthcoming Punjabi movie 25 kille (25 acres) is that it brings two legends of Punjabi cinema, Guggu Gill and Yograj Singh, face-to-face after 16 years. And, looking at the trailer - that begins with introduction of the two - it seems the best sequences in the action film will be the ones where the two share screen space.
As a cinephile with only rudimentary knowledge of Punjabi cinema whose knowledge of Yograj’s work is limited to his Hindi films, including the recent Bhaag Milkha Bhaag , I was curious to know more about the best of the duo’s work.
Simranjit Singh Hundal (32), the director of 25 kille , says the two were among the most recognisable and bankable faces of Punjabi cinema in the 80s and the 90s; they were figures he grew up idolising in his formative years. “Right from my school days, whether we watched films either in cinema halls or on VCR, the two riveted us with their screen presence. Their roles were usually that of protagonist and antagonist -- Guggu used to be a hero and Yograj a villain.”
Simranjit, who hails from Wadala village in Amritsar district, says Badla Jatti Da is his favourite among the films starring the two. “Part of 25 kille , shot in flashback mode, shows the duo in their 80s avatar. It was an occasion to re-live my childhood in 70-mm style,” he adds.
The trailer of 25 Kille , produced by music label Saga Music, indicates that it is about four jatt brothers, Guggu Gill playing the oldest of them, and their sudden discovery that they have inherited a land of 25 acres. “How they get to fight for and acquire the land forms the crux, with Yograj’s character acting as the chief hurdle. It is a traditional Punjabi tale of peasants' attachment with their land,” says Simranjit.
Primarily shot in about 10 villages around Chandigarh and Ropar, the film is Simranjit’s third directorial venture. His first, Jatt Boys: Putt Jattan De , came in 2013 when he was 28. “I called it Putt Jattan De to bring back memories of the earlier superhit starring Guggu Gill [a 1981 movie of the same name was Guggu’s first film],” says Simranjit.
25 kille , scheduled to release on August 25, has in the lead Ranjha Vikram Singh, Lakha Lakhwinder Singh, Sardar Sohi and Sonia Mann in prime roles, apart from Yograj and Guggu. Vikram, who is also one of the three producers, has done movies in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, including Manadhil Maayam Seidhai and Heropanti . “I play one of the four brothers, an innocent jatt Kabaddi player,’ he says.
Speaking of the recent spurt in the number of Punjabi films, Vikram says there is plenty of untapped market. “From the popularity of music videos and Hindi tracks with Punjabi lyrics, it is clear that people who speak Hindi understand Punjabi quite well. Further, with the import of technicians from Bombay and the south, the production values are also getting better. The challenge is to tell stories connected to Punjab's ethos to strike a chord with the audiences,” he says.
Speaking of budget, Simranjit, the director, who entered the show business at the age of 19 through music videos, says a Punjabi film with a budget of up to Rs.5 crores is considered a safe bet. “If the budget goes above that, we need greater justification in terms of star presence, script and visual elements."
What explains the expanded market for Punjabi films in about 30 countries now, apart from the large but diffused pockets of Punjabi speakers there? Simranjit explains that, ”In the 80s and 90s, a Punjabi film used to be released only in select theatres in Punjab and Haryana. Now, with the opening of more cinema chains like PVR, we are able to release them across the country.
"Also, more-organised international distribution networks have helped us tap into Punjabi market in other countries -- like Canada, U.K, U.S., Australia, New Zealand, even Spain. This has also encouraged the industry to produce more films,”
Adding another dimension to the greater recognition being given to Punjabi cinema now, he says that just like the other more-established industries, Punjabi films are also finding willing takers for remakes. “We are likely to have Hindi remakes of Love Punjab , Angrez and Carry on Jatta . Someone even talked to me about buying rights of Jatt Boys for a Telugu remake.”
