His heart beats for Heer

Jasbir Jassi on stage, be it for a concert or a talk about his journey, and the Dil Le Gayi Kudi singer always has us hooked. On Day 2 of Cinevesture International Film Festival (CIFF), the singer-lyricist was all wit and humour.

As he shared his journey from the childhood days —when he discovered his love for music, but had to hide his tumbi from his father who didn’t approve — to his phenomenal success with Dil Le Gayi Kudi, he cracked jokes about serious arty filmmakers and took a dig at Bollywood’s shallow portrayal of Punjabis. “Punjabis do have depth,” said the singer, who takes pride in his association with stalwarts like Hans Raj Hans, Puran Shah Koti and late Surjit Patar. “I can’t say I studied much literature, but being in their company enriched me and my music. Even my theatrical association with Harpal Tiwana and Gursharan paaji helped me shape myself post the success of Dil Le Gayi, while dealing with MTV and Channel V crowds. Theatre helped me get my body language and diction right.”

Well, Dil Le Gayi… might have been career defining song for him, but the dil of this dashing Punjabi munda still beats for Heer!