Ammy Virk-Sonam Bajwa star in Punjabi-Haryanvi rom-com Kudi Haryane Val Di

Ammy Virk & Sonam Bajwa-starrer ‘Kudi Haryane Val Di’ is creating quote a buzz among moviegoers nowadays. The Punjabi-Haryanvi cross-cultural romantic comedy is slated to release on June 14, and we caught up with the film’s stars, who were in Chandigarh recently, to talk about their latest venture together. Some excerpts:

Q) Your film has two titles: Kudi Haryane Val Di in Punjabi and Chori Haryane Aali in Haryanvi. What was the decision behind that?

Ammy: This is the first time that a Punjabi film has two titles, as the film is set in Haryana. We shot more than 80% of the film there, and it is about the coming together of two cultures, Punjab and Haryana!

Sonam: Also, my character is that of a Haryanvi girl, and the two titles represent that. I never expected to get such a character in a Punjabi film, and that was the uniqueness of this film that excited me a lot, that as an actor I could get something different to play and do, and having two titles is an attempt to expand the Punjabi audiences for our films nationally.

Q) As we saw in the trailer and as Sonam mentioned, the film definitely looks like it can be the first pan-India Punjabi film. How do you guys feel about that?

Sonam: It’s definitely something that I can see with this film happening because 50% of the film is in Haryanvi, which is a Hindi dialect. So definitely, this is a film that not only caters to Haryanvi audiences outside of Punjab but also Hindi-speaking audiences in Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and the rest of the Hindi-speaking country.

Ammy: As Sonam just said, when I saw this film, I felt it was our own, it’s punjabi, but then I also felt it was a national film because it was in Haryanvi/Hindi, so that’s the uniqueness of this film that anyone watching it across India will not at all feel it is a film of one region, it’s a film for all of India.

Q) Ammy, how was it like making a film for the first time where you, as a desi Punjabi boy, fell in love with a Haryanvi girl? Was it nervous venturing into and making something so different from your past Punjabi films?

Ammy: No, it wasn’t a nervous feeling at all, but it was the excitement of working in a new world with a new culture, yet it felt like home. Punjab and Haryana were essentially one state and one culture, with different dialects. So every day on set, I felt like this was like Punjab.

Q) Sonam, how do you think your audiences are going to react to seeing you speaking Haryanvi and in a role like this on screen? Do you keep your audiences in mind while choosing what roles to play?

Sonam: Yes, my core fan base is punjabi audiences in India and around the world, and in all the punjabi films I choose to make, I keep them in mind and want them to be entertained and take home something, but at the same time, I want to bring them fresh stories and characters.

And this character is something I think my audiences worldwide are going to look at with freshness and excitement as they get to see me in a Punjabi film with something different than what I’ve done in the past.

Q) What for you both is the key takeaway from your characters and this film?

Ammy: This film is about love wit

h doses of entertainment. It’s about the love for Punjab and Haryana and the two cultures and bringing them together as one.

Sonam: The key takeaway was that once you have conviction and a purpose, then the entire world unites to make that happen, and that’s what you will see in my character in this film. Also, the other major thing is that love across cultures is something that helps everyone grow, learn, embrace new things, and be open to diversity, which makes the world truly special.

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