‘I’m master of all trades, jack of none’

Ask Navjot Singh Sidhu an innocuous question like ���How are you?��� and the answer you get is anything but commonplace.
In a booming voice, he answers, ���I am bright as a button and glad as a blooming bud.��� That is a classic Sidhuism, and after giving the dictionary a new word, Sidhu���s all set to give Bollywood a new hero.
He���s acted in Mera Pind My Home, the Punjabi film that doing quite nicely in the northern parts of the country, and if Sidhu���s to be believed, ���Abroad, it���s a rage ��� especially in Canada and Sydney.���
He organised a screening of the film for politicos like LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj in Delhi yesterday.But what���s his role in the film all about? ���Poocho mat, pivotal role hai,��� says he, and refuses to say any more. But then, when has Sidhu been known for keeping quiet for long? After some prodding, he says with a laugh, ���It���s about an NRI who makes a lot of money abroad and comes back to his village, determined to change the perception of the villagers. It���s about how he manages to change the thought process of the youngsters in the village and bring about a revolution.���
And now that he���s begun, nothing can stop Sidhu. ���The film has been released in 117 screens in Punjab and India, and 56 prints abroad. It���s is a hit in Punjab, every theatre is full. As far as Punjabi films go, this is the first release of this scale in Delhi and Bombay,��� says Sidhu.
So, Sidhu ban gaya hero? ���Mera dictionary alag hai, jisme mein khud likhta hoon. You must have heard my Sidhuisms before, but this is a new one ��� I am master of all trades, jack of none,��� says Sidhu, with a loud laugh. So, now that he���s established his acting credentials as well, are there Bollywood offers coming his way? ���Yes. Five films,��� says Sidhu. ���But, I am actually in a dilemma. The elections are around the corner, producers are asking for 30-40 days at a stretch, and I have a commitment to my people before the producers and directors. So I shall wait for four-five months, and then take a call,��� says he.
Sidhu smartly evades an answer to the next obvious question of who���s his fave heroine. ���Someone asked me this question a few days ago, I promptly said Mallika Sherawat. Tabse bas...��� he changes the topic, ���But on a serious note, I am the first sportsman who���s been successful as an actor, koshish toh bahuton ne ki thi. Ab taam jhaam dekho mera... Look, jiske saath, kiske saath plan karne se it doesn���t happen. Life always makes other plans for you. It was the revolutionary touch to it that appealed to me. When I was in jail ��� remember, I went to jail for one day, and then I resigned from the Lok Sabha ��� on that day, I wrote a few lines inside the jail. I insisted that I get to say this line in the film, and it has been liked too. It was in Punjabi, along the lines of ���Yeh mitti watan ki, yeh mera maan hai, aan hai, meri jaan hai, jab main mitti ko chhoota hoon toh aisa lagta hai ke mein maa ke chhaati ko chhoo raha hoon...������
Sidhu says that like everything else, he did the film in his own style. ���Script saara mera hai. I can���t mug up dialogues. I have to do it my way. Tabhi meri acting mein woh spontaneity hogi na?��� he says. ���They did give me a script, but I finally said my own thing. And Manmohan Singh (the director) said that it was 10 times better than the original. But I have managed to take my message to the lounges of India and abroad, that are frequented by those who matter. I did what I wanted to do politically, and I���ll continue to do so. But I wanted to take it beyond. Toh maine yeh film simply acting bug ko satisfy karne ke liye nahi ki. There was a strategy behind it.���
He���s already been juggling his time between his political commitments, TV appearances and shows. Now, how will he manage being an actor too, and does he think the audience would like to see him on screen more often? ���When people go to the market to shop, they look for two-in-one, three-in-one things... Main toh all-in-one hoon. Why wouldn���t they like me?��� asks Sidhu.
So, competition for SRK and Akshay Kumar? ���Not at all. Aaj kal darr yeh hai ke heroine se zyada heros ke bustline hote hain. So, the competition is from them. They talk of four pack abs, six packs abs... mera toh 24 packs hai. Yeh jo Salman hai... suna hai fans swoon when he takes off his shirt. Agar main shirt utar doon na...!���