In the act

The film stars the Deols — Dharmendra,Sunny and Bobby— along with Anupam Kher and Kulraj Randhawa,and Singh can hardly contain the excitement. “I have 18 years of experience and yet,nothing compares to working with Dharamji. I feel blessed,” says Singh,who plays a bodyguard in the film. “It’s the story of two families —while the Deols are petty cons and thieves from Benares,Kher and his boys are hardcore goons of a Punjab village. The film begins in Canada,travels to Benares where Bobby falls in love with Kulraj and follows her to Punjab only to face her brothers — Kher and family,” Singh elaborates. Singh’s role also extended to tying turbans on the movie set. “Kulraj belongs to a Sikh family and Bobby to a Hindu one. So Dharmendra and the boys have to turn into Sikhs and wear turbans to woo. I helped them tie the turbans,” he adds.

Singh also stars in Raj Babbar’s Maharaja Ranjit Singh which airs on Doordarshan. In it,he plays Maharaja Chat Singh Bhangi,leader of one of the biggest Sikh Missals. “I’m also a jatka player,the traditional Sikh martial art form,” he adds.

For an actor who is familiar with the work ethics of both Bollywood and Punjabi movies— having starred in Namastey London,Singh is Kinng to Jee Ayan Nu,Des Hoya Pardes and Pind Di Kudi,Singh feels that Bollywood is far more professional in its approach. “In Yamla,the writers have made an effort to present an authentic portrait of Punjabi culture,giving real Punjabi names to the characters. In Punjab,we are laidback and do not increase our budgets,ultimately compromising on quality,” he signs off.