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WITH THE release of Saadey CM Saab slated for this month, the film’s protagonist Harbhajan Mann and his antagonist Dev Singh Gill stopped by the city to talk about their upcoming flick.
Already a celebrated villain down South, Gill is making a debut in Punjabi films. “I’ve always wanted to work in a Punjabi film, though I was never offered any role. I believe every Punjabi across the country desires to do something for their culture. This is my time,” said Gill, who started his career as a model before he was noticed by South Indian director S S Rajamouli and offered his first role as a villain.
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Gill, who is from Pune, was also seen as Pakistani athlete Abdul Khaliq in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. “Being an actor has been my dream and while my father never believed it to be a serious profession, my mother always supported me,” said Gill, talking of his initial years of struggle in Mumbai. “I was out in the first round of Gladrags. But each and every failure in my life has made me better and stronger.”
Gill insists that south Indian film industry is far ahead in terms of technology and budgets. “But Punjabi cinema is like home, and I’m lucky to be acting opposite a legend like Harbhajan Mann from whom I’ve learnt a lot,” added Gill.
Mann believes Saadey CM Saab may prove to be a milestone in Punjabi Cinema. “While the film is entertaining, the subject is extremely critical and different. It brings home the importance of voting, the political contest and the concerns of the public. It’s especially relevant with elections due in 2017,” said Mann. The film, directed by Vipin Parasher, will release worldwide this May 27, and will be dubbed in Hindi too.