MUMBAI MIRROR (January 4, 2017)

Priyanka Chopra says one of the main reasons for her producing the forthcoming Punjabi film, Sarvann, was to include her late father’s rendition of a ‘shabad. “My father Dr Ashok Chopra’s rendition of the famous shabad by Guru Gobind Singhji. ‘Sarvann’,” Priyanka tweeted on Tuesday with a link to the track, adding, “One of my original reasons for making ‘Sarvann’. Can’t wait to share it with you all. Miss you dad (sic).” PeeCee’s father, who was a retired doctor from the Indian Army, passed away in 2013 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Madhu Chopra says her daughter is rooted in her culture and is a God-fearing girl
Manishaa R (DNA; December 26, 2016)

Priyanka Chopra is planning a grand overseas release for her Punjabi film, Sarvann, in keeping with the huge turnout for the promotions of the film overseas, especially in Canada.

According to her mother Madhu, Priyanka is very keen that the film reaches out to Punjabi audiences overseas, “There’s a big market for Punjabi films in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Along with Europe, these are all emerging as a great markets. Priyanka is keen that the film reaches out to the audiences there.”

Madhu adds that Priyanka was particularly excited about the huge turnout for the first trailer launch of the film in Toronto, Canada in November. “She had been there earlier for film festivals and shows but this was the first time she did a promotional visit for her own film and she was thrilled with the overwhelming response. The audiences there are also very excited about her decision to support regional films and are keenly awaiting the film’s release. Also, Amarinder Singh, who was there in the promotional tour has a huge following among the Punjabi audiences in the overseas territory,” says Madhu.

Unlike her last film, Ventilator, in which she had a cameo, Priyanka has not played any role in the film, though there was a misconception that she was doing a guest appearance in the film, when she was shown pictured in a gurudwara, during the promotional campaign, “The portions shown were at the gurudwara during the making of the film, during which Priyanka was present,” Madhu clarifies.

Sarvann tells the story of a young NRI living in Canada, who goes wayward due to his get-rich-quick ideas and ends up getting involved with the wrong company. He later coincidentally lands in India, where he is guided to a gurudwara after he loses all his belongings. Here he learns about the greatness of Guru Granth Sahib and the true meaning of life, “It conforms to Priyanka’s strategy of making content-driven films. The film brings back nostalgia to the people who are living outside; they will all connect to the lush green fields of Punjab and the gurudwaras. It is the kind of film Priyanka always wanted to make,” Madhu says.

Priyanka herself grounded in her cultural values, stresses her mom, “She is a true-blue Punjabi at heart and a very religious person. She doesn’t step out of the house without doing her puja; she is a god-fearing person. Whichever part of the world she travels to, she greets people with a Namaste. You can’t take India and her culture out of her,” says her proud mom. Sarvann is scheduled to release on the eve of Lohri in Punjab on January 13.

MID-DAY (November 19, 2016)

For the first time, a Punjabi film will be launched in foreign shores, something unheard of even for Bollywood projects. And that's Priyanka Chopra's brainwave — no surprises there. Jointly produced by the actress' Purple Pebble Pictures and Pooja Films, Sarvann is gearing up for a Toronto launch on Sunday, where Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil the film's first poster and trailer. The movie marks Priyanka's foray into the regional movie territory.

Currently busy with her commitments in the West, PeeCee remained unavailable for a comment on the development. Her co-producer Deepshikha Deshmukh tells us, "We believe cinema has no language. Our production house took Sarbjit to Cannes and we will do the same for this film. It's great to be working with fierce women like Priyanka and her mother (Dr Madhu Chopra). PeeCee is a go-getter. And even though she is relatively new to production, she knows the job inside out. Her experience in Hollywood really adds to her skills. She is sharp and bright. We ladies know exactly what we want and how to go about it."

Since Canada has a considerably high Punjabi population, Priyanka and Deepshika hope the launch event itself will create good buzz for the movie. "It will certainly give a boost to the film. The reason we chose to launch the film in Toronto is because the story is about an NRI boy, who returns to India to explore his roots. Fashioned as a thriller, it essentially is a coming-of-age story of a young boy who unknowingly discovers his identity," adds Deepshikha. The film's director Karan Guiliani as well as actors Amrinder Gill, Ranjit Bawa and Simi Chehail will also be present for the event along with PeeCee, her mother and Deepshikha.

The actress’s first Punjabi production opens in the theatres in December
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 12, 2016)




At 10.30 am on Friday, Priyanka Chopra who released Ventilator, a Marathi film produced by her and mother, Madhu Chopra, last week, announced with a “drum roll” on social media that their debut Punjabi film, Sarvann, would be releasing this December.

Mirror has learnt that the film featuring Amrinder Gill, Simi Chahal and Ranjit Bawa kicked off earlier this year in Canada, followed by a schedule in Chandigarh which began on September 5. A heartwarming drama about dealing with your emotional and physical handicaps, follows an NRI, Shravan, as he returns to India to find his roots and himself. Director Karan Guliani, with the film’s writer Amberdeep Singh, are presently at a Mumbai studio busy with post-production.

A source informed Mirror that Amrinder, whose last release Love Punjab, also penned by Amberdeep, is a superstar in the North. He lives in Canada and flies to Punjab for shoots. He made his acting debut in Manmohan Singh’s Munde UK De in 2009 and his recent hits include the period drama Angrej, set in 1945 Punjab. The 40-year-old actorsinger-producer is now working on the Angrej sequel.

“In the expat pockets of UK and Canada, Amrinder is on par with Diljit Dosanjh who made his Bollywood debut with Udta Punjab this year. Priyanka and Madhu Chopra through their filmmaker-friend Karan approached Amrinder who agreed as soon as he heard the story. Everything was finalised when Priyanka was in Mumbai after wrapping up Season 1 of her American TV series, Quantico in Montreal.