After his stint as a judge on a reality show, Guru Randhawa is back on television as a mentor for the ongoing season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. In a chat with us, Guru talks about how being an independent artiste is empowering, his musical goals, relationships and more.

Along with delivering chart-topping hits like Lagdi Lahore Di, Suit Suit, and Munde Mar Gaye, Guru made his Bollywood debut last year with Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay.

Ask him if Bollywood is crucial for wider recognition, and he replies, “Everything contributes to your profile, but where you come from matters. I wasn’t dependent on Bollywood for my success, I had already made a name for myself before I stepped in. Bollywood sometimes makes you feel ki unhe jab aapki zaroorat hai woh bula lenge aur jab nahi hai tab aap chale jaao. That’s why being an independent artiste is empowering. My goal is to make great music, whether for Bollywood or otherwise.”

Stressing on the need for artistic independence, he says, “Just like in a marriage, where both partners need to be independent to avoid complications, an artiste needs independence too. If you’re an independent singer, you don’t have to wait for anyone to call you or release your song. You can upload it online yourself. We’re not tied down and we don’t need to stand in line for opportunities. If you take our song, great; if not, we’ll release it ourselves.”

His personal life has also been in the news, as he has been linked to actress Shehnaaz Gill, and rumours are that they are in a relationship. Clearing the air, he says, “Shehnaaz is a good friend. She’s very sweet.”

Ask him what his thoughts on marriage are, and he says, “For me, marriage is about giving time to your partner. If you have time to dedicate to your family, then go for it. If not, don’t. The same applies to relationships. I simply don’t have time for either right now.”

Often, reality shows focus on the emotional backstories of participants rather than their talent, which some say misleads the audience.

Guru says, “These stories are relatable to many people and can inspire them to follow their dreams. Of course, focus on the artiste’s growth, but you can showcase their struggles alongside. Most stories are similar — we all come from small towns and middle-class families. Their stories motivate me to write and keep moving forward.”

Guru Randhawa, a known musician for over a decade, had butterflies in his stomach before making his acting debut with the Hindi film Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay co-starring Saiee Manjrekar. Guru, who was in Ahmedabad recently, talks about why he got into acting, and how he prepped for his acting stint. Excerpts:

For Guru, acting in a film is very different from acting in a music video. “There is a certain comfort you have when you have been facing the camera for many years. But the difference earlier was that I used to lip-sync which was easier but when I got into acting, it got different. I went to my (acting) coach and asked him to teach me how to emote, deliver the dialogues, and enact a scene,” explains Guru, who finds commonality between singing, dancing, and acting.

“If someone understands sur, they can do all three. You might have seen a lot of actors turning to singing. Jitna humare paas emotions hain, utna range of emotions actors ke paas bhi nahi hota kabhi kabhi. Everyone wants to reverse the process (get into singing) to learn more about emotions because the three are interlinked,” he adds.

While Guru started singing at the age of nine, it took him a long time to get into acting. He says, “It took me many years to get into acting because I wanted to be sure that I could prove myself. I want my films to work. Now that I am ready, I am here to stay.”

As someone who has been singing for over two decades, was the transition to acting more difficult? He says, “Singing is like appearing for the Class X exams, while acting is like taking the Class XII exams. You need to pass the Class X exam to reach Class XII and that is why I took my time before taking up acting. I hope I pass with flying colours as an actor too.”

Guru wants to go to the US and take up projects in singing and acting there. “I want to go to Hollywood - that will be my graduation exam. I want to represent Indian cinema on the international platform just like Irrfan sir did. I have shot three films which are very different from one another, and one of them is a pan-India project. I am trying to do something different from what everyone else is doing because I am not scared of failure,” he says.

Singers who have tried acting and not succeeded have their reasons not to have made their mark. When someone doesn’t succeed at something new, they usually go back to their comfort zone but to succeed, one must take some professional risks and challenge oneself. I have not signed a film after singing just a song or two, or just because that is a trend. I have put a lot of thought before getting into acting. I have prepared myself for that too. After I gain success as an actor, I want other singers to look up to me and learn from my journey.

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Doing a film is very different from singing or doing a music video. A video is only three minutes long, but a film is two-and-a-half hours long. If someone doesn’t like me in a video, they can stop watching it, but walking out of a theatre midway isn’t that common

Guru Randhawa is no stranger to Hindi films. He has a number of tracks in Bollywood movies, including Suit Suit (Hindi Medium), High Rated Gabru (Nawabzaade), Morni Banke (Badhaai Ho) and Lagdi Lahore Di (Street Dancer 3D) to his credit. And now, buzz is that the singer is gearing up for his acting debut as a leading man in a Hindi film.

Confirming the news, Guru told Bombay Times that he has been harbouring the dream of becoming an actor for a long time now. “Yes, it has always been a dream to work in Bollywood,” said the musician who’s known to write, compose and sing his songs and also act in the music videos. He adds, “After working in music videos with Mrunal Thakur, Nushrratt Bharuccha and Nora Fatehi, I am absolutely comfortable in front of the camera.”

Guru says, “Over the years, I have been playing different roles for my three-minute music videos, and now, I am ready for my Bollywood debut.” Probe him further about the project and he says that it will go on floors this year. He adds that he signed the film a month ago and will reveal more details soon.

Considering that Guru’s name is synonymous with Punjabi music, didn’t he think of acting in Punjabi films? “I’ve been offered Punjabi films before, but at that point, I wasn’t ready to act in films. Now that I am comfortable acting, it feels like this is the right time to work in Punjabi and Hindi films,” he says.

Elaborating on what attracts him about Bollywood, the singer says, “The canvas that the Hindi film industry works on is huge — right from the screenplay, to choreography, casting and writing. I wish the films I work on fulfil that big dream. I’ve always looked up to actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. In fact, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a few of them when I composed and sang for their films. They inspire me.” 

Last year was a learning experience for all of us, thanks to the pandemic. And like most of us, Guru Randhawa did feel a bit jittery in the beginning. “When the lockdown was announced, I thought paison ka nuksaan ho gaya. I also kept thinking about the exposure that we could have got in 2020 (but which finally didn’t happen due to Coronavirus). And about all the things which were pre-planned, in terms of shoots and tours. But at the same time, I realised that it was the same situation with everybody. And slowly, I came to terms with the circumstances,” he tells us.

One good thing about staying at home was that Guru got the much-needed time to work on his physique. He says that he started working out the day the lockdown was announced. Impressed with how his physique has shaped up, the Suit Suit singer shares, “We are doing a video shoot in March, and I will be flaunting my abs in that video.”

Was this always the plan then, to have a chiseled body that he can flaunt? Not really, the singer says. “I never had the time. I was travelling every day. And I love making money, who doesn’t? I go on stage, paseena nikalta hoon, paise kamata hoon. I sell my art and I think jab tak logon ka pyaar hai, sab theek hai. So I didn’t want to give that time (from his work schedule) to work out,” replies Guru. But in the pandemic, when showbiz came to a standstill, the singer got that chance to focus on his fitness and he managed to acquire a fit bod.

Besides singing, Guru has also tried his hand at acting in his music videos. Ask him if he has been offered any roles in films so far and the singer shares, “People are saying that I have acted really well in my recent music video.” In a lighter vein, Guru adds, “I am ready for Bollywood as well as Hollywood! One day, I want to be in the same poster as Leonardo (DiCaprio) sir. I want to do a war film with him.”

While many artistes love to perform in front of their families, Guru shares that he has never performed in front of his parents. “I do everything for them but I have never taken them to any of my shows, I can’t perform in front of them. I can’t present myself as an artiste in front of them,” he says.

Talking about today’s music and the music industry, Guru says, “There are all kinds of music that are being created currently. Everybody is trying to break boundaries, everybody is trying hard but at the end of the day, artistes need to be happy. Artistes need to be satisfied with their work.”

So does he believe in the numbers game, does he give importance to the social media likes on music videos? “Who does not believe in numbers? The person who claims that they don’t, woh sabse zyada crave kar raha hota hai (to be number one). Everybody wants to be there (at the top), but they don’t want to appreciate someone who is already in that position. You need to realise that many people have followers, then why is only one person’s videos getting so many likes on social media? Ek hadd tak advertisement hoti hai, ek limit tak push kiya ja sakta hai. But getting almost 1 billion views on my songs, yeh sab mazak thodi hai? I love the fact that my videos are getting liked by so many people. I’ll make sure I have the numbers forever,” says the High Rated Gabru singer.

Refusing to divulge much about his relationship status, Guru says, “It is very beautiful. But I don’t want to get married right now. Shaadi jab bhagwan chahega toh ho jayegi.”