Movie greatness of Gippy Grewal

IT WAS only a couple of decades ago when Punjabi cinema struggled, with few films being made and those produced facing challenges in global distribution.

Music icon Gurdas Maan had been one of those who kept the sinking industry afloat with films like the acclaimed 1999 romantic drama, Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Boota Singh, which was his first home production. Then Manmohan Singh followed up his stunning cinematography for iconic Bollywood films such as Chandni, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Dil To Pagal Hai by directing the 2002 drama, Jee Aayan Nu. Popular singer Harbhajan Mann made his acting debut in that game-changing movie. The ace director and the singer turned actor became a dream team that delivered a series of successful films, which drew a lot of attention towards Punjabi cinema.

Actor Jimmy Sheirgill, balancing acting in Bollywood with Punjabi films, added to the momentum. Collectively, they would lay the foundation for Punjabi cinema to grow significantly in the past decade. Although leading ladies Neeru Bajwa and Sargun Mehta would also play major roles, the Punjabi singers-turned-actors who followed elevated the industry to great heights.

By acting in movies and contributing songs, music stars such as Diljit Dosanjh, Ammy Virk and Amrinder Gill played a pivotal role by helping turn Punjabi cinema into a global juggernaut. But perhaps Gippy Grewal has been the biggest contributor to its progress. The popular singer and actor has become arguably the prime power player in Punjabi cinema, with a stunning body of work as an actor, producer, director and writer. He has delivered a huge number of movies since making the move from music to acting with his film debut in 2010 with Mel Karade Rabba.

He made his debut as a producer in 2012 with Carry On Jatta, which has spawned a successful franchise that includes the recordbreaking 2023 release, Carry On Jatta 3, which became the highest-grossing Punjabi film ever produced in India.

The big-thinking star made his directorial debut with the 2016 film Ardaas, which he also wrote, produced and starred in.

The all-round talent returned to produce, direct, write and star in the 2019 sequel, Ardaas Karaan. He also turned the hit film, Manje Bistre, into a franchise, with a third instalment on its way.

This week sees the release of his hotly-anticipated film, Warning 2, which is a sequel to his 2021 action drama, Warning. The rip-roaring trailer suggests that he has another hit on his hands.

Instead of resting on his laurels, Grewal is constantly building on the momentum generated by his huge Punjabi cinema success. He has a whole load of exciting movies on the way, including Carry On Jattiye, which is a spin-off from the successful Carry On Jatta franchise that sees him star opposite the popular actors, Jasmine Bhasin and Sargun Mehta.

His incredible box-office success has helped create opportunities for others wanting to make Punjabi films and inspired producers to invest bigger budgets, which is fostering industry growth.

By evolving into a fearless and hardworking leader, Grewal has taken the industry to unimaginable heights, building on the brilliant work done by the pioneers of Punjabi cinema.