In Chandigarh, Girija Shankar, the Dhritrashtra of Mahabharta, is all set to put Punjabi films on the world map
Back in the 80s, when actor Girija Shankar was offered the role of Dhritrashtra, he was baffled. Only 28 at that time, with a good physique, he was aiming to play Arjun or Duryodhan. However, the makers convinced him by saying that Mahabharta happened between Krishan and Dhritrashtra. And, he finally agreed!
Rest, as they say, is history—the BR Chopra series enjoyed grand success and he gained fame. In Chandigarh on Monday, Girija Shankar brought along a documentary Sadi Virasat (Heritage of Indian Punjabi Cinema), which charts Punjabi industry’s journey from its very beginning in 1935 to 2000. At one hour and 45 minutes, it dives deep into films, artistes, how well they fared at the box-office and other interesting tidbits. Working on its release plans, he has another documentary that clubs together the period from 2000 to 2025.
Rooted to Punjab, Patiala being his hometown, he moved to Mumbai and later Los Angeles to pursue acting. Being in Hollywood, but with the heart in Punjab, he came up with the idea of an international Punjabi film festival; his dream project—Punjabi International Film Festival Los Angeles (PIFFLA).
“PIFFLA Hollywood will not only showcase the creative brilliance of the Punjabi and North Indian communities, but also offer international artistes a chance to collaborate,” Shankar said.
Putting together the website, Shankar aims to get it rolling by August this year and dreams of making it a platform like Sundance.
“There have been niche film festivals, but we still lacked one for the Punjabi industry. PIFFLA will claim that space,” shared Shankar, who was accompanied by Mandeep Singh Sidhu, author of the book Punjabi Cinema Da Sachittar Itihaas.
“Starting with very first Punjabi film Ishk-e-Punjab/ Mirza Sahiban in 1935, many a times our industry saw such dips that it seemed to have no future. But, it was always resurrected. It’s our duty to treasure and encourage young talent,” shared Shankar, who acted in both Hindi and Punjabi films, apart from television.
He got into direction with English film Banana Brothers and is happy traversing continents, wherever work takes him. “While living abroad, I realised the immense potential of Punjabi cinema, music and folk art. The time has come to take our stories to the world through this platform,” he signed off.
Lifestyle