A hero rises
Diljit Dosanjh says his Punjabi superhero film ‘Super Singh’, out today, is a mix of humour and fighting bad guys
“This story will connect with every Punjabi and their roots.” DILJIT DOSANJH | Actor
There were no divine forces at work to erase obstacles such as a limited budget or tight filming schedule and rescue the makers of Punjab’s first superhero film, Super
Singh. But they did not let that stand in the way of creating a fantasy fiction hero who was perfectly “Punjabified” and partly funny.
“In Super Singh, we have rooted our hero in Punjabi culture. He’s very desi and we haven’t tried to make it a Western movie. We have concentrated on humour, but it isn’t a spoof or satire like Deadpool,” said director Anurag Singh in a phone interview with tabloid!.
The person he chose to fulfil his dream of gifting his native Punjab a believable on-screen superhero was actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh.
It’s their fourth collaboration together after hits such as the widely popular romance Jatt and Juliet series and the Indian National Award-winning drama Punjab 1984.
“It was our dream to create a Punjabi superhero and to see a Sikh superhero with a turban… But we are not mocking the genre of superheroes,” said Singh.
Their latest attempt, Super Singh, which will release in the UAE today, chronicles the tale of a charming, fun-loving Punjabi lad in Montreal who stumbles upon his superpowers. As he saves people, he also rolls out a few jokes along the way.
“There is a certain message in the film for the audiences, but the movie is mainly fun. The fun stems from the character that he plays. But we are not trying to make any virtuous statement in it. We have just inserted elements of our own roots and culture here,” said Singh, who got an instant approval from Dosanjh when he approached him with the idea.
For both, the concept of having a home-grown superhero held immense appeal.
“This story will connect with every Punjabi and their roots. In Hollywood, there are several films on superheroes and Bollywood too has a few superhero flicks, but this is our first attempt. I guarantee you that there will be a distinct Punjabi flavour here… The audiences will be intrigued by the story line and I can guarantee you that the entertainment value and fun factor will be high,” said Dosanjh in Hindi.
Between these two creative minds, their credibility is high since their union