Every award that falls in my lap shapes the actor in me, says Gurpreet Ghuggi

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Chandigarh, July 27

Amidst the resounding beats of the dhols and the nagaras-multi-hued phulkaris graced sohni punjabi mutiyars, ghaint kurta-chadras adornerd our gabrus and colourful patiala-shahi suits came alive on stage to toss up a microcosm of Punjab, when the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi in collaboration with the World Punjabi Heritage Centre, Chandigarh, felicitated and honoured around more than 21 prominent actors, singers, directors and other eminent personalities from the Punjabi film and music industry as a recognition of their outstanding contributions towards the Punjabi culture, arts and society.

The celebration of ‘Virse De Waris’ raised a toast to the rich cultural heritage of Punjab. The highlight of the event was the Punjabi folk music performances by artists trained by the akademi, showcasing the richness of the Punjabi language, traditions and our cultural legacy.

Amongst those felicitated were veteran actress Nirmal Rishi, writer Neena Tiwana, social worker Jatinder Kaur, legendary punjabi singer Muhammad Sadiq, actor Sunita Dhir, educationist Dr.  Deepak Manmohan, folk singer Bai Hardeep, actor B.N.Sharma, actor Gurpreet Bhangu, singer Biba Gulshan Komal, singer Pammi Bai, singer Dolly Guleria, actor Ajaib Aujla, actor Shavinder Mahal, singer Amar Noorie, actor Malkit Rauni, actor-comedian Gurpreet Ghuggi and singer Hans Raj Hans. 

Speaking on the occasion, popular Punjabi actor and comedian Gurpreet Ghuggi said, “Every award that falls in my lap is important; it is just like every drop fills up the ocean, and it goes a long way in shaping me up as an accomplished actor.” Talking about his upcoming release, Ghuggi added, “I am very excited about my upcoming film, Kankan De Ohle, which releases this coming Friday. It is a new kind of cinema that we have experimented with, and I request everyone to please go to the cinema halls and watch this film for sure because the audiences will just love it.”

Also talking about the students’ protest in Jantar Mantar and the subsequent resignation of the Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, Ghuggi said, “whatever has happened now should have happened earlier because now the students have already suffered losses. Many of them are in hospitals battling serious injuries while many of them are dealing with severe mental trauma. I wish this could have been done before, but better late than never”.     

Also felicitated on the occasion was music director and composer, Atul Sharma, Talking to-The North News, Sharma, said on an ecstatic note, “I feel really honoured to receive this award as I have worked in this industry for almost 45 years now, I was only 18 years old when I started out. I have worked with everyone in the field right from stalwarts like Surjit Bindarakhia to the present-day artists.” Talking about his upcoming project, Sharma said, 

“I am working with singer Harjit Harman in his latest project. He is also my prodigy and an excellent singer and performer.” Also giving his take on the current scenario in the country,  Sharma quipped, “whatever has happened in the past few days has been troubling me deeply. We cannot afford to ignore the demands of our students. We have the next Modi and Rahul sitting amongst them. They are our future, and we better pay heed to them.”

Punjab’s leading folk singer and legend Pammi Bai, was also amongst the ones  honoured. He congratulated the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Academy for doing some pathbreaking work in fishing out raw talent from around Punjab and chiseling them into fine artistes. Talking on the occasion, he also spoke about the pressing need to revive live singing over patronising songs on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where likes can be purchased, compromising on the quality of the content being churned out.

Talking to The North News, Pammi Bai also stressed the need to uphold our punjabiyat and culture over easy fame, he said, “Social media is giving rise to many short-term singers who are composing songs with lewd lyrics and double-meaning compositions which are contaminating the young and the impressionable minds of our youngsters. It is important to pay attention to the content we are churning out.” He also took up the occasion to announce that six of his songs are ready and in the pipeline to be released soon. Happy to have received the award, Pammi Bai, shared, “with every award received, our responsibility towards our listeners and the society also increases. It also motivates us to do good and responsible work to uplift and safeguard our society and culture.”