Gaurav Chopraa is making a debut in a Punjabi film Blackia 2

Actor Gaurav Chopraa is foraying into the Punjabi film industry with the film Blackia 2, with a character based on Haji Mastan’s life. Commenting on how a typically Hindi actor landed a Punjabi film, Gaurav says, “Thank god we have reached a point where we are making pan-India films and because of that people are open to getting actors from other industries.” He adds, “I had understood this many years ago when I did the Leonardo DiCaprio’s film Blood Diamond. I couldn’t understand why they are taking an actor from India. If you are perfect for a character, your origins don’t matter.”

He says, “So many artistes are crossing borders that have limited people in the past. Diljit is now an international star, a southern person can dance to bhangra, and any regional film can be watched in your language and your content. Now we should stop talking about who belongs to which state. Punjabi films are raking in money, at a time when Hindi films aren’t working. Look at the kind of finished work Punjabi films are doing and in limited budgets, which is a much bigger achievement.”

Gaurav’s premise for accepting the Punjabi film, helmed by Navaniat Singh, is also the challenge that comes with an unexplored territory. “For anyone following my career trajectory, it is apparent that I am in an experimental phase for last few years,” he says, adding, “When I accepted and Navaniat said with you coming in we have a Bollywood actor in our industry and now we can look at a pan-India releases too, I resonate with that.”

Ask him if the image of an industry that thrives on comedies was an apprehension for him, and he says, “So what if Punjabi is largely about comedies? Main purpose of cinema is to entertain, which is an art and a medium of social statement. But it is also about money for the producer and if he puts it in a strong, socially relevant subject and the film tanks, poor guy loses his money. But I think as more films will do well, people will be brave enough to experiment and their effort will be endorsed with more audiences. At the cost of you saying experiment, someone will lose crores. Punjabi community is extremely strong with their cultural identity and presence, which is now very noticeable the world over. As the diaspora is spreading, you will see different genres emerging.”

Talking about his role in the film, Gaurav, who shed three kgs in five days to look the part, says “Haji Mastan has been immortalized by greats like Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn so I know I had to match up. We are trying to do the authentic person and not comparing with the previous portrayal.”