From Amar Singh Chamkila to Sidhu Moosewala, Gippy Grewal opens up on Punjabi musicians living under threat: ‘Jo cheezein ho rahi hain…’
From Amar Singh Chamkila to Sidhu Moosewala, Gippy Grewal opens up on Punjabi musicians living under threat: ‘Jo cheezein ho rahi hain…’
From Amar Singh Chamkila to Sidhu MooseWala, Punjabi singers have often been the target of criminal gangs, who may extort money from them, seek to control their careers, or become involved in personal disputes. Following the release of Imtiaz Ali’s musical biopic on the life of the slain Punjabi musician, the discussion around Punjabi singers living under threat has been gaining momentum more than ever before. In a recent interview with India.com, Punjabi singer-actor Gippy Grewal opened up about the artistes from the industry being vulnerable to such uncertainties; however, he stressed that he isn’t afraid.
“Dar bilkul nahin lagta (I am not scared). Every profession has pluses and minuses. You can meet with an accident or anything can happen to anyone in any field,” added the 41-year-old, who had earlier received extortion threats from the gangster Dilpreet Dhahan who had attacked Parmish Verma.
He added that as artistes passionate about their music, they can’t run away from following their dreams despite being vulnerable or being under threat. “Jo cheezen ho rahi hain aap unhe taal nahin sakte, but you can be cautious (You can’t stop these things but you will have to take precautions). Hum isi cheez ke liye paida huye hain, hum yahi karengi, hum kahin aur bhi chale jate thai to phir wapas aa jate hain. Jahan aapka dil hai, wahi kaam karna chahiye (We are born to make music and we will continue to make music despite the fear and uncertainties. Even if we leave the field, we will come back. We should follow our hearts),” said Gippy referring to a line from Amar Singh Chamkila where Diljit’s character says he will continue to sing despite the threats.
The artiste added that a lot of times, he feels like he should go out, roaming in his kaccha, and not taking a shower. “I can’t do it because I can’t be photographed like that. I cannot say no to my fans because of what I am today it is because of them,” he added.
Gippy, who heaped praise on Netflix’s Amar Singh Chamlika and Diljit Dosanjh’s performance, added, “They made the right choice by casting Diljit. If they had not cast him, we would have not been able to connect with the film. Before anyone else, the film was made for the Punjabi audience.”
Following Moosewala’s murder in broad daylight, India-born Canadian singer AP Dhillon also spoke about the reality of Punjabi singers and artistes in India. He said that artistes are often subjected to “hate-filled comments, threats, and negative energy” for simply doing what they love to do.
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