Strength of a woman

Jasmine Singh

She has more work than any other Punjabi singer-actor in the industry. She had to politely turn down many films because of time constraints. Theatre-person and Punjabi actress Nirmal Rishi defies every notion of age with her vast, and growing, repertoire of work. This soft-spoken artiste has finished shooting for an upcoming movie Hard Kaur, a story of five brave Kaurs who have the guts to stand up for themselves as well as others. “I feel every woman who faces adverse circumstances will respond strongly to this movie,” Nirmal says. 

Humble take 

Nirmal had initially refused the role because she felt women from all communities were strong enough to stand for themselves. She smiles, “I told the filmmakers that I was too busy to do the project. Later, I found out that the boys making it were not Sikhs, yet they wanted to make a film on Sikh women. This touched me; these boys are really nice and humble. I am a liberal person myself; I don’t believe in taking sides.”

Nirmal believes in living each moment, “Life has just begun; I have a long way to go.” So, everyday comes as a blessing, just like her roles. “Like in Hard Kaur, I play this elder Kaur who reprimands the boys who tease girls.”  All is good, but is she aware of the how films like these generally end up in some or the other controversy? “This is not a historical film; I think it will get a good response from the community. Sometimes, it is okay to highlight good facts about the community and Hard Kaur will do exactly that.” 

Full of life

Nirmal, whose latest film Nikka Zaildar got an amazing response from the film fraternity and the audience, spends her free time reading or chatting up with friends as well as theatre students at her home. She makes tea and delectable snacks for them, and then start those never-ending conversations. “I live alone, all by myself, but not even for a day did I feel I would have been better off had I been someone else or have chosen any other life,” she smiles. 

Her upcoming projects include Nikka Zaildar 2, Crazy Tabbar, Arjan, Akhri Waris, Lahoriya and an untitled Punjabi film. “I don’t know what God has planned for me at this age. I am off to Canada for two shows; main tan rab de saharey chali ja rahi han,” she says. 

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All about team effort

Punjabi film Hard Kaur, whose shooting is on in Patiala, is dedicated to the spirit and strength of women in Punjab. The team, including renowned actress Nirmal Rishi, Indo-British model Deane Uppal, Tanvir Singh, Chaitanya Kanhai, Swati Bakshi and Neet Kaur, are braving the scorching heat to wind up their 45-day schedule on time. Debutant director Ajit Singh Rajpal shares, “Each actor faces the challenge of playing a very strong character. They are all working really hard” — Gagan K. Teja