In Ammy Virk’s Saab Bahadur, ‘mystery is the glam quotient of the film’
Actor Ammy Virk, producers Gunbir Sidhu, Manmord Sidhu and Harman Brar talk about ‘Saab Bahadar’, the first mystery thriller of Punjabi cinema, releasing on May 26
Punjabi cinema is all set to get its first mystery thriller as ‘Saab Bahadar’ hits theatres on May 26. With an interesting plot set in the early 90’s in a remote village of Punjab, the film revolves around a cop, Kuldeep Singh, popularly known as Saab Bahadar.
In a freewheeling chat, actor Ammy Virk and producers Gunbir Sidhu, Manmord Sidhu and Harman Brar talked about the film. Here are the excerpts:
Q. ‘Saab Bahadar’ is the first suspense thriller of Punjabi cinema. Isn’t it a risk, especially in an industry which thrives on romance and comedy?
Gunbir Sidhu: Punjabi cinema has changed now. It’s a commercial film, not a risk. In the last year and a half, we have seen period films, family drama, and different comedies such as ‘Manje Bistre’. There’s more acceptance for a unique perspective now.
Q. What are your expectations from the movie?
Ammy Virk: When we do something new, there’s always a risk to it. But you can’t eat the same dish daily. So, basically it’s a new kind of movie.
Q. You’ve done a variety of roles. How is this one different?
Ammy: There is no romance in the movie. I’m playing the role of assistant sub-inspector Kuldeep Singh.
Q. Your character is fond of reading books in the film.
Ammy: The character basically loves to read novels. I have only 40 to 45 dialogues in the movie. But villagers in the film will make you laugh.
Q. There’s no heroine in the film. So, what about the glam quotient?
Gunbir: The glam quotient of the film is the mystery itself. The audience will be hooked till the end. That’s the USP. I don’t agree that there has to be a glam quotient for a film to work.
Q. How is the chemistry between Jaswinder Bhalla and Rana Ranbir?
Gunbir: There are no gags in the film. The comedy is situational. Bhalla ji is playing the character of a munshi. His comic timing is on-point and the dialogues are crisp. There are scenes where the audience will laugh but the flow of the movie is not hampered.
Q. Movies usually show Punjab Police in a comic light.
Ammy: The movie has comedy. Police can laugh too, but when given a task, they work hard. But then there are actors like Rana Ranbir and Jaswinder Bhalla in the film; they will make you laugh too. It’s a family film. There’s no blood and gore in the movie.