Worth waiting for a home debut: Arjan Bajwa

While his self-brooding good looks have accrued several accolades, roles and offers from the Hindi and Telugu film industry, Arjan Bajwa, who portrayed a 'sweet and friendly' role in Ajay Devgn's 'Son Of Sardar', says his true satisfaction was in his native language industry, Punjabi films. It may have taken some years for Arjan to debut in Punjabi, but now that he has arrived here finally, he vies that all that wait was worth its while.Shooting for 'Himmat Singh' on the suburbs of Patiala and Ludhiana, Arjan is buoyed about his Punjabi film debut.
"More than the film it was the director, Baljeet Singh Deo who caught my interest. He is technically a very sound director. Moreover, this is an 'Indian' film, not just a Punjabi film, which is the forte of Deo," says Arjan.
At a time when the Punjabi industry is rolling in the lucre of romcoms, Arjan decided to give consent for a film that was way away from the genre of a romcom. "I didn't want to start with a romcom. Those themes have become run of the mill, a formula that everyone is chasing thinking of playing it safe with success," he says.
If anything, Arjan's debut is the first of its kinds, action themed script that this region's industry is yet to witness. "The film has things like mixed martial arts and underground fights, which is the first of sorts for Punjabi films. And to maintain a true standard of martial arts, Deo has hired technicians from abroad, who are adept at this form of martial arts.���������
As for the Punjabi filmdom straddling a new era lately, Arjan is not too convinced. "As much as people would like to believe that the Punjabi cinema is in a boom, I want to know, where is this boom? Is it in quality or quantity? Of the 30 films released last year, how many did well? Maybe two���������" he vents, "It is not just about comedy or romcom, people want to see 'good' films. People like Manmohan ji who made Jee Aayan Nu, Asa Nu Maan Watna Da can be credited with starting a new wave in Punjabi industry. But now just because one romcom has done well, doesn't mean it has become a trend. It is only a rat race. There was a time when only action was doing well."
And whether action genre will do well in Punjab, contrary to popular belief that comedy sells in Punjab, Arjan says why not? After all, "Punjabis are known to be an aggressive community," he defends.
Arjan's Telugu equation
While we know for a fact that the South industry has at least a dozen actresses who are either Sardarnis or Punjabis, the male actors there from Punjab account for a handful. But Arjan is happily on to his 10th Telugu film. "I am fortunate to have done enough Telugu films. Though I was born in Delhi, it seems after Punjab now Hyderabad is my second home!" laughs Arjan, who has also signed two Hindi films, "If I am getting so many Telugu offers, I obviously must have done something right there! As for me in the Southern industry we all know, Punjabis kahin bhi pahunch jatey hain!"