Neeru Bajwa and Satinder Sartaaj have paired up once more for the upcoming Punjabi film Shayar

Sheetal

The hit jodi of 2023 — Neeru Bajwa and Satinder Sartaaj — is back with another film, Shayar, as Seero and Satta, to entertain the audience of Punjabi cinema worldwide. Releasing this Friday, as they gear up for film’s promotion, we started with the most obvious question — what made them unite again, their previous film Kali Jotta’s success or the off screen camaraderie?

Whenever I had tried to dress according to the trends, it never really suited me and felt forced. I think I will always remain a ‘classic’ girl because that will always remain stylish and timeless. Also, I can never pre-decide what I would wear for an event; I always dress according to my mood. — Neeru Bajwa, Actress

I consciously try not to wear something outrageous. A dress should never overpower your personality. I would never want to be known for my fashion sense over my work. For me, it’s important to dress appropriately according to the occasion or seriousness of the event. — Satinder Sartaaj, Actor-singer

Neeru says, “A bit of both. With the release of Kali Jotta last year, when the audience accepted our on screen chemistry, it was natural that we had to work together on something soon. So my team had approached Sartaaj for Shayar and he also related to the idea. It’s easier to work with someone you can connect to, especially when you have to spend 15-16 hours of the day for more than 40 days while shooting a project. Similarly, it’s difficult to pretend when you don’t like your co-stars. Gladly, Sartaaj and I get along too well and with the second film, we got to explore much more about each other. We are growing as artistes.” Neeru also feels she has adapted some of his good qualities — one to be more patient and the other to be non-reactive to situations or people that don’t demand your time and energy!

Playing a poet

Presented by Neeru Bajwa Entertainment, Shayar is helmed by director Uday Pratap Singh. The screenplay is by Jagdeep Singh Warring. For the film, Sartaaj played a poet (shayar), but being a Sufi poet and singer in real life he says the role demanded him to unlearn a lot of things. “As my character in Shayar is learning to become a shayar, there were many things that I had to pretend that I did not know. It was actually hard to underperform in areas you excel in. The opening scene in the trailers when I am singing out of tune, is not how I am in real life but that’s the boon of acting — you get to play so many characters that you are not.”

Sartaaj adds, “I want to play a serial killer on screen, it’s a role even audiences would be surprised to see me in.” There’s another thing that is hard to pull off for Sartaaj, shares Neeru, who starts preparing Sartaaj for making reels one day in advance. “He just hates these promotional gimmicks of making trending reels ahead of theatrical release, which has become a necessity as everyone today is on social media,” she adds.

In a mood to bare it all, Neeru, when asked her opinion on what’s pulling the Punjabi industry back, replies, “Besides not respecting time, industry never stood up on the strong foundation of professionalism.”