Punjabi screen goes sci-fi

For the first time in the history of Punjabi cinema comes a film, titled Raduaa, which is a sci-fi drama. Directing it is a young Punjabi actor, 27-year-old Nav Bajwa, whose acting career spans 11 Punjabi films. He is also acting and producing the film, which features seasoned actors from the region, including Satinder Satti, Gurpreet Ghuggi and BN Sharma. At the motion-poster launch of the film, its team talks about the idea behind making a sci-fi drama, elaborating on the film’s subject and how it finally came to pass. “This film is about how an experiment goes wrong and we time travel to a different era, 1955 precisely, in the course of it,” he says. 

“The VFX effects of the film have been done by technicians from Netherlands; these people had earlier worked for films like Lord of the Rings and Iron Man. We have worked very hard on this film,” says Nav, sharing that the biggest challenge faced by Punjabi cinema is the lack of technicians. By the means of this film and another one of his directorial ventures, Nav shares that he wants to bring in the corporate ‘tie-clad’ folk to the industry. It’s the professionalism he’s gunning for. “Till now, Punjabi films have been made by Jutts, who sell their land and invest it in the entertainment business; we need more people in the industry who understand filmmaking and experiment with different subjects. I am coming up with two more films, one titled Ishqa Tera (which I directed much before Raduaa, but it hasn’t released yet), and the other one, titled Ashqay ABCD, a bhangra-based film,” he says. 

Leading lady

Satinder Satti, who will be playing the role of a single and independent woman in the film, shares that she was attracted to the idea of becoming a part of history by taking up this film. “How often do you hear of a sci-fi Punjabi film? It is as if Punjabi cinema is fixated with comedy. I wanted to be a part of this film because of the role I am playing and also because this film is the first-of-its kind,” she says. 

Though Satinder considers herself as an artiste, not an actor, and that she had served the office of Punjab Arts Council, she opines, there’s a dire need for a censor board in Punjabi film and music industry. “Not as much for films, but our music industry badly needs a censor board. With films, however, the problem is that producers are not willing to take risks. They play safe because they have to cover up the costs. Nevertheless, Raduaa is an experimental film and it has that ‘something different’, which Punjabi-film fans have been waiting for,” she adds.

Well, the film will be released on May 11. Watch out! —TNS