Top Punjabi movies of 2018 that proved Pollywood is more than just comedy

Pollywood is generally considered an industry that makes mostly comedy movies. However, the reality is tad different. There is no denial to the fact that with movies like ‘Carry On Jatta’, ‘Mr & Mrs 420’ and many more Punjabi films has set a benchmark in the genre of comedy, but there’s more to the industry than what meets the eye. 2018 released Punjabi movies are proof of the fact that Pollywood is more than just comedy. This year, movies were totally content-based and touched on the areas that were never given due attention. Take a look to know for yourself:

Released in April, ‘Subedar Joginder Singh’ was a multi-starrer movie based on the real-life story of the Param Veer Chakra recipient Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan. Gippy Grewal played the lead in the biopic. The movie chronicled the valor of Subedar, who fought the Sino-Indian war of 1962 until his last breath. Irrespective of having a battalion of only 21 Sikh men, Subedar didn’t back down from giving a tough time to the Chinese army that was backed with almost thousands of soldiers.

On one hand where ‘Subedar Joginder Singh’ showed the post-independence era, ‘Sajjan Singh Rangroot’ encapsulated the pre-independence period. However, one thing that is similar between the two movies is, both of the films were an attempt to bring the bravery of Sikh men on the 70 mm. Featuring Diljit Dosanjh in the lead, ‘Sajjan Singh Rangroot’ portrayed the hardship that the Sikh battalion faced while fighting on the Western Front during World War I. The impact of the movie can be determined from the fact that it became the first Punjabi film to release in Russia.

Another movie that brought forward a real-life account is ‘Harjeeta’. Based on the life of Indian hockey player Harjeet Singh Tuli, the movie portrayed the sportsman's journey from a carefree boy to the captain of the team in Men’s Indian Hockey Junior World Cup 2016. It was under the leadership of Harjeet that Indian hockey team brought the victory cup home in 2016. The lead actor Ammy Virk underwent a great physical transformation to crack the look of Harjeet Singh. His uncanny resemblance to the player in the poster of the movie was a proof that the actor’s efforts didn’t go in waste.

Besides ‘Harjeeta’, there was one more movie that showcased the game of hockey on the big screen and its title was ‘Khido Khundi’. Featuring Ranjit Bawa in the lead, the movie was a mix of fiction and facts. It was about the struggle that two brothers faced in bringing back the lost glory of Hockey in their village Sansarpur. As a matter of fact, Sansarpur indeed has a page in the book of Indian hockey. The place gave some of the best hockey players to the nation and has a number of golds to its name. The movie was an attempt to bring this history in limelight.

Rana Ranbir’s debut directorial ‘Asees’ is out next pick for the category. Having Rana Ranbir in the lead, the movie was a family drama that portrayed the very beautiful and strong bond between a mother and son. 'Asees' brought forward those little moments which binds a family together, it conveyed the message that how materialism can never overshadow the worth of true relations. It was way different from the masala entertainers, as was completely drenched in emotions. It was purely a content-based movie that tugged at the heartstrings of the audience.