Shah Rukh Khan’s Latest ‘Dunk’ in New Web Series ‘Chamak’ How Punjab Continues to Shape Current Bollywood, OTT Landscape | Chandigarh News

In 2013, the Hindi film industry saw the release of ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, a biopic on the life of the country’s sports prodigy late Milkha Singh, played by Farhan Akhtar, which struck an emotional chord with millions of people in the country. As the real-life inspirational story of the ‘Flying Sikhs’ came to life on screen, many found a newfound respect for the turban. In 2016 came ‘Udta Punjab’, perhaps the first film in mainstream Hindi cinema to explore the deep nexus between drug mafia, police, gangsters and singers in Punjab.

Over the past year, OTT platforms have added a new dimension to how issues related to Punjab, the shared border state with Pakistan, and facing everything – from drugs and drones to gangsters and brain drain – are portrayed to a wider, national audience. .

From the web series ‘CAT’, which delved deep into the life of a police informer during the militancy era, to the film ‘Jogi’, which recreated the 1984 Sikh Genocide, followed by another widely watched web series ‘Kohrra’, which featured a perfect cocktail. Issues plaguing modern Punjab, the creative palette has recently become wider and better for Punjabi content creators as well as audiences.

Here are some other recent and upcoming releases that have Punjab Connect.

Dunki (Releasing December 21st)

Upcoming release starring Shah Rukh Khan, the film explores what is plaguing the whole of Punjab in the current times – illegal immigration. “Dunki” (pronounced like donkey), stands for “Donkey Flight”, a term used for the illegal immigration route taken by several Punjabi youths to reach the US, Mexico, UK and other countries. Directed by Raj Kumar Hirani, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan as Hardyal Singh Dhillon, aka Hardy, who wants to come to London with his three friends. From learning English to arranging passports, they face everything, but in the end it is the “donkey flight” that forces them to reach the UK, only to return home. Focusing on the mass exodus of youth from Punjab, the film stars Vicky Kaushal, Taapse Pannu, Boman Irani in other roles.

Chamak (Releasing December 7 on Sony LIV)

Directed by Punjabi filmmaker Rohit Jugraj, the musical thriller web series Chamaki is a fictional story about the life of Kaala, a rapper who returns from Canada to Punjab to discover a conspiracy to kill her father, a famous Punjabi singer. who was shot on stage 25 years ago. From reverse migration to rivalries, politics and guns, the series delves into the dark underbelly of the Punjabi music industry. In some interviews, Jugraj says that the idea is to prove that no artist deserves to be killed and that “combining music and violence can lead to a fatal end and trauma for generations to come.” Chamak’s star cast includes ‘Kohrra’ fame Suvinder Vicky, Gippy Grewal among others.

Sam Bahadur

The latest release, starring Vicky Kaushal, is a biopic on the life of Sam Manekshaw, the country’s first field marshal, who led India to victory in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. A Parsi born in Amritsar, he had deep ties to the Punjab and was affectionately titled Sam Bahadur.

an animal

Recent release ‘Animal’ featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol creates a Punjabi vibe on its song ‘Arjan Vailly ne paer jod ke gandaasi maari’. (Arjan Vail joined his legs and gave a strong blow to the enemy with an ax).

The song also gave overnight fame to Punjabi folk singer Bhupinder Babal, who was the voice behind the number. He is from Kural near Mohali.

‘Arjan Vaile’, who is symbolically compared to Ranbir Kapoor’s character in the film, has a connection with Sikh history and has several connotations, both positive and negative.

Many Punjabis use the term for Arjan Singh Nalwa, the younger son of the warrior Hari Singh Nalwa, commander-in-chief of the Khalsa Fauj (army) of the last Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It is believed that Arjan Singh fought valiantly against the British and such was his bravery and prowess that his enemies greatly feared him.

In other connotations, Arjan Vail is also used for a Sikh hero of folklore, a kind of Robin Hood who fought with the rich to help the poor.

In an interview, Babal said that the song was never written with any particular person in mind, but Arjan Vailly is a character that originated from folklore and refers to the “Punjab of Robinhoods” who fought against injustice.

Vail otherwise in Punjabi means a boisterous, aggressive individual who is ready to fight, loves alcohol, gangs, violence and has no interest in the law. A section of Punjabis also express their displeasure over the glorification of such characters who can mislead the youth and push them towards violence. “It is sad to see that a typically nasty man like Vail is becoming the role model and epitome of Punjab,” noted author Khushwant Singh said.

Mission Raniganj

Released in October this year, Akshay Kumar starrer Mission Raniganj brought to the screen the roots of the late Jaswant Singh Gill, a Sikh engineer in Amritsar who bravely rescued 65 trapped miners in the Raniganj coalfields of West Bengal in 1989. .
Gill was also awarded the ‘Sarvottam Jeewan Raksha Padak’, the highest gallantry award for civilians. At the risk of his own life, Gil himself went out into the mine to drill holes and rescued each worker. After graduating from the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, he joined Coal India Limited in 1973. He died in 2019.

Amar Singh Chamkila (due 2024 on Netflix)

Directed by Imtiaz Ali and starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, it is a biopic of slain Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila and his second wife Bibi Amarjot Kaur. The couple was gunned down on March 8, 1988, during the dark days of the militant era in Punjab, when they came to a performance with a band. Chamkila was just 28 years old. The mystery of their murder has remained unsolved to this day.
Born and brought up in Ludhiana, Chamkila was revered as one of the greatest artists of the Punjabi music industry, who rose to fame in a very short span of time.