Soorma star Diljit Dosanjh: Working in Bollywood is a hobby; singing remains my first passion

Diljit Dosanjh is candid enough to admit that he has never played any sports in his entire life and thus when the lead role of Soorma was offered to him, it was a clear cut no to the makers. It’s a rainy afternoon when I meet him at a suburban Mumbai five-star hotel where he is busy finishing few television interviews. To give a dash of his film’s feel, a hockey stick accompanies him in all his TV frames and photo shoots. “It was only a month and half before the shoot commenced that I held a stick for the first time and practiced extensively with Sandeep Singh (on whom the film is based). I had zero knowledge about hockey and only knew certain names like Dhyanchand, Dhanraj Pillai and Sardar Singh. Before the shoot, I had no clue how hockey is even played and had not even seen a match,” reveals Diljit. But that was in the past. Now, Diljit is a changed man and can rattle of India’s achievement in the field of hockey. He says that there are 180 countries that currently play hockey and India is ranked sixth among them. He also informs that India has won eight Olympic gold medals in the past and closely followed the recently concluded Champions trophy in Holland where India lost to Australia in the finals. [caption id=“attachment_4591921” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Diljit Dosanjh in a still from ‘Soorma Anthem’. YouTube[/caption] Diljit also shares his grudge about things that were taught to him in school about hockey. “One thing that I have known recently is that hockey is not our national game. We were taught in school that it’s our national game. Why were we taught the wrong thing? Even Google says that hockey is India’s national game. There is nothing official on papers,” says a miffed Diljit. The truth about hockey not being our national game came as a result of an RTI application filed by 10-year-old Aishwarya Parashar from Lucknow few years back. So when Diljit had said ‘no’ to the project, how did it eventually transform into a ‘yes’? According to the actor, the film was offered to him when he was doing the TV show Rising Star with music director Shankar Mahadevan. It was on the sets that Shankar had asked the singer-actor if he wanted to meet Shaad Ali for a film. While no meeting transpired for next 15 days, he suddenly got a call from Sony Pictures’ office requesting for a meeting to pitch a film. “When the team from Sony came to meet me, Shaad Ali too was part of the team. When I met him, the only thing we discussed was music from his previous films and nothing about Soorma. It was only towards the fag end of the meeting that Shaad revealed that the film is based on hockey and then the only expression that came out from my side was Mar Gaye.” Diljit initially said no to the film on the grounds that he hadn’t played any sports in his life and lacked the build of a sportsman. The Punjabi superstar even tried to convince him saying that he has worked with stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Ranveer Singh in the past and he is a very small fry in front of these actors. “When I came back, my close friends suggested that filmmakers are big people and I should not say “No” to them. The ideal thing would be to meet them in person and then say a polite “No” backed by some solid reason.” When Diljit and his friends reached the Sony Pictures office the next day, the manner in which they were entertained made them so happy that even his friends, who were there to push his case, turned their back on him and started cajoling Diljit to sign the film. Were there any moments when he had to face the ire of Shaad Ali? “Shaad never screamed at me and I think that if anyone were to scream at me, I won’t be able to do my work. I am a very sensitive person. I simply won’t be able to work with the person who yells at me. I am an artist and make songs; if you hurt me, I won’t be able to shoot.” Conversation with Diljit also gives a peek into his honesty and gives a sense that he is not guarded like most from Bollywood. He discloses the fact that his current dalliance with Bollywood is mere fun and is in no hurry to fatten his bank balance. “I am only fulfilling my hobby by working in a Bollywood project. I am not charging hefty money for my Hindi film assignments and I can easily earn the same through three shows of mine. Currently, I am only exploring myself and singing remains my numero uno passion,” admits Diljit. [caption id=“attachment_4628511” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] A still from ‘Good Man Di Laaltain’/image from YouTube.[/caption] After having worked in the film, Diljit has now developed a deep understanding of the disparity between the lives of cricketers and hockey players. “It was only through Sandeep Paaji that I got to know of things. We all are responsible for the plight of our hockey players. It’s we who have chosen the government and made the system, so it only means that we all are responsible for such a sorry state of affair.” Diljit is willing to take that extra step and mentions that if the hockey federation were to ask him to perform or do anything for the benefit of hockey, he is all game for it and won’t even charge a penny. While his performance in his debut film Udta Punjab was unanimously lauded, his second venture Welcome to New York met with such a poor reception at the box office that it was soon labelled a disaster. “The film didn’t run at all. I had a premonition about the film that it won’t be a success and I was 100 per cent sure about it. I was sort of cornered into doing that film. I have just become part of Bollywood and it’s difficult to say “No” to things initially. I don’t want relationships to go for toss. This film taught me that work is important and post work, relationships are important,” signs off Diljit, his hockey stick still firmly in grip.