The cast of Punjabi film Hey Siri, Ve Siri, is upbeat about the plot

Hey Siri, Ve Siri, an upcoming Punjabi film, though shot largely in the UK, has a strong connect with Punjab. The idea germinated from a news item. A family from Punjab, settled in Australia, got their siri (field worker) flown over. Director Avtar Singh, who has retained the farmer within him along with pursuing cinema, asked his siri, Mithu, on what he thinks about such a move. It led to a riveting conversation, further paving the way for an entertaining script by Aman Sidhu. The film’s team came together on Tuesday for its trailer launch at Mohali. A fun banter, led by director Avtar Singh, here is all we know about this comedy!

“I have had a close partnership with our siri, Mithu. When I was studying in a hostel at Panjabi University, he would often park the family tractor on campus and join me in my room,” shares Avtar. Joining him are films lead actors — Arya Babbar, Anita Devgan and Hardip Gill. “The film was to go to someone else, but it somehow came to me,” says Aarya Babbar, who is onto his seventh Punjabi film now. “Calling a siri your servant would be lowering the status a siri enjoys in a village. I would call it a companion at best.”

The film follows a family settled in the UK, who call their siri over and the drama ensues. “A lot of Punjabi films are shot abroad for many reasons. But here, we had a genuine reason to shoot the project in UK for that’s an integral part of the story,” says Arya. Right from his debut Punjabi film Yaar Annmulle in 2011, Arya has continued working consistently. “Yaar Annmulle, Jatts In Golmaal and Naughty Jatts, my first three Punjabi films did well by the grace of God, but let me admit, I didn’t dub for any of them. When I tried, the film tanked,” he laughed. But that hasn’t made Arya stop trying — a Punjabi tutor in place, he dubbed for this one!

The film has real life couple — Hardip Gill and Anita Devgan — play siri and his wife on screen. A little late to reach the venue of the launch, Anita shared, “Sorry, we are coming from Amritsar. The tyre of our vehicle got punctured, then there were too many traffic lights…These are the only lies I can tell.”

Veteran theatre artistes, it’s their first film with Arya but they felt the connection for long. “We have worked with Raj ji in films and Nadira Babbar ji loves Amritsar and we have shared a close bond with her due to theatre. Now we can say we share the same deep bond with Arya, who is fun, both on and off the screen,” said Hardip. Arya says, “They are the lead couple, Shweta Indira Kumar and I learnt a lot from them.”

Yaar Annmulle brought him instant fame in Punjabi circuits, he levels the credit to his father for the same. “When I debuted in Punjabi industry, people gave me love for I was Raj Babbar’s son. Even today more people here know me as Guru than Arya! Else, tell me has any actor from outside Punjab been accepted like I am in Punjabi films?” he asked.

With so many actors in the family, he is asked if like the Deol clan, they also plan a film like Apne, “That would be lovely. Probably we will make a Punjabi-Marathi film on account of Prateik (Babbar),” he smiles.

Talking of Babbar family, Happy Babbar enjoys a fan following of his own! “You won’t believe it, when I am away I have to make video calls to my four-legged baby and pamper him to the moon once back.”

Two more Punjabi films on the anvil, Arya is happy enjoying his time as a standup comic. But right now, he is looking forward to the response to Hey Siri, Ve Siri, which releases on November 22.