Good Newwz actor Diljit Dosanjh, who is a superstar in Punjabi cinema, discusses how he has yet to find his feet in B-Town
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; December 26, 2019)

A superstar in Punjabi cinema, Diljit Dosanjh forayed into B-Town with Udta Punjab (2016). Three years and a few films later, he admits he is "still trying to figure out Bollywood". The difference in the functioning of the two film industries, he explains, could not be starker. "When I am working on Punjabi projects, they are entirely in my control. Right from the film's budget to the song selection to even the screen count [for the release], I am aware of everything. I am at the liberty to make the films that I want to. But Bollywood is a different ball game. Here, the business scale and budgets are big. I have to figure out how to [position] myself within the [limited] offers that I get. Depending on what comes my way, I pick the best options."

At the moment though, the star has a promising offering in the Karan Johar-backed Good Newwz, a comedy that also features Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kiara Advani. While he has shared screen space with Kapoor in his maiden Bollywood venture, the Raj Mehta-directed vehicle marks his first collaboration with Kumar. The actor laughs that the two bonded over their love for Punjabi food.

"I have been a huge fan of Akshay ji. I was so nervous that I would always call him sir," he shares, adding that the film allowed him to witness Kumar's legendary penchant for early morning shoots. "We would start early and wrap up the shoot by noon. This was new for me and the entire crew. At first, we didn't know what to do for the rest of the day. Then Akshay ji suggested that we do double shift on some days. We ended up completing the shoot a week before schedule."