Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; January 13, 2020)

After starting his Bollywood journey as one of the three actors in the Pyaar Ka Punchnama (PKP) series, today, Sunny Singh is confident about leading the show as a solo hero. In a conversation with BT, the actor spoke about his upcoming film, Jai Mummy Di, his struggles to land where he is today and how his only focus is, “Meri agli picture kab aayegi.” Excerpts:

Your last release, Ujda Chaman, which was your first film as a solo hero, ran into controversy ahead of release. What were your takeaways from it?
I am calm person, and I never lose my composure. When I got to know of what had happened, I felt yeh to hona hi tha. Bala and Ujda Chaman were both about premature balding, which was a novel idea. I feel lucky that I was a part of Ujda Chaman, and today, I only want to cherish the experience of leading a film and the lessons that I learnt on the job. I had once met Ayushmann Khurrana before both the films had released. He seemed fairly unperturbed by what was going on, and that made me realise that one should just focus on their work. And controversies aside, I got the acknowledgement that I wanted as an actor. Today, I’m more prepared and confident to try out genres other than comedy. In this business, believing in your work, being patient and consistent always pays off.

You have tried your hand at comedy before, what was it about Jai Mummy Di that appealed to you?
Luv sir (filmmaker Luv Ranjan) called me to his office and introduced me to our director, Navjot Gulati. We discussed the film at length there, and he also asked me to read the script. I don’t question Luv sir’s decisions because I’m here, all thanks to him. Of course, I loved the story when I read it. I was not only playing the male lead, but I also had a chance to portray a character which is so relatable and real. Films like Jai Mummy Di connect well with the audience. When people recall me as Chauka (PKP) or Titu (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety) on flights and other places, it feels like the hard work was all worth it.

Jai Mummy Di was shot before Ujda Chaman came your way and this will be your second release as the solo lead within six months. Doing more films as the leading actor — is that your plan now?
I have been through times when I would audition for roles and not make the cut. Today, I value the fact that I got these films in the first place. Aaj se kuch saal pehle tak, naye logon ko jaldi chance nahi milta tha. Along with hard work, you also need luck by your side. I was fortunate that Luv sir saw the potential in me and gave me films like Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Akaash Vani, and now, Jai Mummy Di. I have realised that it’s important to dedicate time to a film and role, no matter how big or small it is. Since childhood, I wanted to be a hero, but now, I want to be an actor. I spend time reading and preparing for a film. It’s important to do that. My father (Jai Singh Nijjar) is an action director. He has seen the industry from close quarters and he always told me that it is important to hone my acting skills. The reason for the long gaps between my previous films is that I focussed on one film at a time. I don’t feel the pressure to do multiple films in a year. Besides, I didn’t like the offers that I received in the interim. I don’t mind giving six months to a film if it demands that, but I am not in a hurry to sign projects.

Don’t you think that for a fairly new actor, having long gaps between films could be detrimental to your career?
I don’t think so. I know that a lot of newcomers have been introduced in recent times, but that doesn’t affect me. I also know a few of them personally, but I don’t know much about most of them because I don’t have the bandwidth to keep a tab. I am a homebody and I don’t socialise much. If it was left to me, I would also quit social media. My only concern is meri agli picture kab aayegi, paise aaye ya nahin and meri performance theek thi ya nahin. That’s it. I am not that person who puts himself out there all the time.

Once upon a time, social media profiles were private and that made sense because what we did with our buddies and where we chilled out was only for us to know. As far as this is concerned, my thoughts are a bit old-school.

Recently, on a chat show, actor Siddhant Chaturvedi said, ‘Hamare sapne jahan poore hote hain, wahan se inka (industry kids) struggle shuru hota hai,’ while referring to nepotism in the business. Do you agree with his statement?
Yes, I do, but to some extent. For people whose parents have been in the business, landing the first meeting and probably the first film is easier than it is for an outsider. But after that, it is talent that sooner or later takes you to your destination. I have observed that actors who get films through auditions have a different sort of confidence in what they’re doing. Maybe several rejections at auditions and continuous toil makes them strong. On the other hand, actors from families within the business have to work doubly hard and struggle to find their space. The pressure is higher and most of them have to live up to a big name. If they don’t do that in their first few films, work is hard to come by. So, yeh mat dekho kaun kidhar se aaya hai, but yeh dekho ki woh kya kar raha hai aur kya kar sakta hai.