Joys of childhood

Gurnaaz Kaur

Gone are the days when Punjabi films were all about slapstick comedy. Now, Punjabi cinema is creating its niche in subject-oriented films. The recent releases do give a glimpse of it and adding to the genre is Aate Di Chidi. This film is going on the floors tomorrow. And its director Harry Bhatti promises to showcase some unseen level of craft through it. 

“Aate Di Chidi is a black comedy. It involves situations about society that we usually cry about. There are subjects that are painful but are presented in a humorous vein. The characters are urbane and the movie will be shot in Canada and Punjab,” says Harry.  

The cast of the film includes Neeru Bajwa, Amrit Mann, Gurpreet Ghuggi, BN Sharma and Anmol Verma. It’s no surprise that Neeru is the lead actress but it is the first time for Amrit Mann to star in a lead role. “Everyone who is from a village would know what aate di chidi means. When children used to get upset with their mothers, the mothers would make a bird of dough for her kids to play with. This film is a very family-oriented one and viewers feel it is their story that is being narrated,” Amrit tells. 

Basking in the success of Laung Laachi, Neeru says, “I am really happy about Laung Laachi. My experience of working with Amrit was a brief one but I am excited to work with him in this film. This story is surely going to touch your heart.” With a summery kurta and bare-minimum nude make-up, Neeru was at her simple best for this occasion. She is going to portray the mother of a seven-year-old boy in the film. 

While acting is easy-breezy for Neeru, Amrit says acting is no less than a challenge for him. “For every film an actor has to prepare really hard, be it the character or the looks. It’s a complete process to become someone else and be real about it.” For this singer-actor, the aim is to reach the status of a versatile artiste and this film is a huge step towards it. “This movie is quite experimental and so is going to be my music this year. I am singing three songs in the film that are penned by me and as an individual artiste I’ll be coming up with some romantic beats,” he says. 

That is for the future but his past songs have glorified alcohol and weapons, to which he says, “A lot of a singer’s work depends on what listeners want. Having said that, I promise not to come up with any such subjects in my songs. I’ve matured as an artiste and as a person.” 

These artistes may be on an individual journey, but one thing they all boast of is the growing love for Punjabi cinema. With this film they plan to contribute another benchmark for the industry.

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