Wide angle

Karman Singh

Jagdeep Sidhu is the creative genius behind the much-celebrated Punjabi franchise Qismat. If Bollywood has Imtiaz Ali-AR Rahman-Irshad Kamil combo then Pollywood has a golden trio — B Praak, Jaani and Jagdeep Sidhu.

Jagdeep announces, “Soon, you will see us working on a Bollywood project. This time, I feel fortunate to have these two people by my side.”

Before making it big in Pollywood, Sidhu tried his luck in Bollywood. Sharing one such anecdote, he says, “I wrote Qismat for Bollywood in Hindi and narrated it to Varun Dhawan. But things din’t work out. Later, his film, Sui Dhaaga clashed with Qismat at the box office. Qismat did better than the former in Punjab and Delhi. Varun called to inquire if Qismat was the same film that he refused. But I consider myeself fortunate as the genre was unexplored in Punjab. Getting Jaani onboard was also one crucial step in my film’s success.”

Jagdeep’s principle is ‘to be honest with the story’. “When it comes to storytelling, I always strive to be honest. I’m never afraid to narrate my stories to at least 25-30 people first. For me, their expressions, feelings and reactions act as the judging factor,” he says.

After lending dialogues and screenplay for Saand Ki Aankh and Srikanth, respectively, Sidhu now gears up for his solo screenplay debut with sequel Son of Sardar 2.

Challenge accepted

Sidhu debuted as a talk show host with The Jagdeep Sidhu Show. The show is not about creating controversies but to provide a platform to artistes to share their experiences with the audience.

On the challenges involved, he says, “Being a shy person myself, I find it quite difficult to ask questions. Also, I have to tread carefully, making sure I respect the boundaries of my guests. I wouldn’t ask something that might hurt their feelings.” — Saumya Singh