Directors who took Punjabi cinema to another level

Take a spin back in time, Punjabi cinema was assumed to be made only for NRI audiences. Irrespective of various attempts to raise the bar, the industry due to certain reasons could not earn the credit it deserved. However, with time a lot has changed, especially the way Punjabi movies are being directed. Thanks to the Pollywood directors, Punjabi movies have broken the regional boundaries and made their way to hearts. The industry has witnessed a breakthrough from the slapstick comedy genre and delivered some really amazing movies. Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the work of the directors who took Punjabi cinema to another level.

When you talk about some of the best Punjabi cinematic works, one movie that never fails to make its way up to the list is ‘Punjab 1984.’ On one hand, where Diljit Dosanjh was highly appreciated for pulling off the character so well, it is director Anurag Singh who deserves the credit for putting such an amazing film on the screen. The movie was a period drama released in 2014. Chronicling the impact of Punjab insurgency, the film left the audience in tears.

A lot of movies come and go, but a few come to leave a mark like ‘Rabb Da Radio’. The movie was a family drama, which was highly appreciated by both audience and critics. It marked the directorial debut of Harry Bhatti in Pollywood. Starting a career with a non-commercial film is a task that takes guts and involves risk. However, considering the substantial content of the movie, Harry seemed least to care about the risk. He directed ‘Rabb Da Radio’ along with Tarnvir Singh Jagpal in 2017. Later in the same year, he released another of his directorial ‘Sardar Mohammad’, which yet again helped in raising the bar of cinematic excellence.

This year Harry will be trying his hand in a new genre with the release of ‘Aate Di Chidi’. Starring Neeru Bajwa and Amrit Maan, the movie is a hysterical take on some serious issues of Punjab. So basically, he will be highlighting some serious concerns, but with a different angle.

Whenever the movie ‘Rabb Da Radio’ is mentioned, Tarnvir Singh Jagpal needs to be credited as well. Just like the former mentioned director, Harry Bhatti, Tarnvir Singh Jagpal also started his career with the off-beat movie ‘Rabb Da Radio’. His this year's release ‘Daana Paani’ also presented a different aspect of Punjabi cinema on the celluloid. Jimmy Sheirgill and Simi Chahal starrer, the movie encapsulated some spiritual essences and intellectual preachings. There’s no denial to the fact that the actors did their job brilliantly, but we can’t forget the hard work of Tarnvir, without whose vision the movie couldn’t have been made.

Simerjit Singh is a name that’s associated with 2015’s second highest-grossing Punjabi film ‘Angrej’. Yes, the movie in which Amrinder Gill, Aditi Sharma and Sargun Mehta stole our hearts, was the movie directed under the expertise of Simerjit Singh. ‘Ángrej’ gave Simerjit all the appreciation he deserved and that’s what gave him the inspiration to do more amazing movies. After giving the audience a scoop of fiction, drama and comedy, Simerjit ventured into a biopic, and made the recently released ‘Subedar Joginder Singh’. The movie was based on the true life-story of Param Vir Chakra recipient Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan, who with his battalion of 21 soldiers fought against a whole Chinese army.

Talking about war movies, 2018 witnessed a film based on the Sikh regiment which was sent on the border during World War I - 'Sajjan Singh Rangroot'. The Diljit Dosanjh starrer movie was directed by Pankaj Batra. He is the same man who brought some really fresh stories up on the silver screen that dealt with very serious and relatable issues of the society. With movies like ‘Channo Kamli Yaar Di’ and ‘Bambukat’, he highlighted issues that prevail in the society but are never noticed.