Barinder Saluja, Chandigarh ,Feb 6 : Like poetry, painting, stories, cinema too has a purpose – of paying back to the society it is born of. Mukesh Gautam says Ek Noor is a step in that direction. Veecon Music and Entertainment Group’s maiden venture Ek Noor is releasing worldwide today and Mukesh wants people to come and see it. Well, not because the project is close to his heart but because the film talks about issues that need to be discussed. Everyone dies, but there are very few who live on…the film’s tag line says it all. “What can be better service to mankind than giving the gift of life to someone else” says Gautam.
The idea germinated from the personal story of the film’s producer Dr. Ranjit K. Chandra. “His wife had died young, at 28 years of age, but had pledged her eyes to someone else”, Gautam shares.
Ek Noor, starring Sudhanshu Pandey and Sudeepa Singh, besides a horde of veteran theater and film personalities from Punjab, discusses several issues too. Organ Transplant, terrorism, orphans of violence, there’s a lot it touches upon. “When you can explore all of it in one film, why not?” asks Gautam. The musical compositions hold the blend of classic, folk and modern music. The tracks by music director Atul Sharma are mesmerising.
“It is my first Punjabi film and being a hard core Punjabi, this film is quite close to my heart”, said Sudeepa Singh who made her debut on the small screen in the TV Drama “Kabhi to Nazar Milao”. Going Back to yester years of her struggle, Sudeepa said, ” I always wanted to be an actress and model. TV gave me a break and i was able to make my mark as a good actress. And now Mukesh ji had shown a lot of trust in me and i have lived up to his expectations.” My next target right now is to stick to the Punjabi cinema and do as much as i could, for it”. She told us that she is a true Punjabi and belongs to the holy City of Amritsar of which she misses the mouthwatering food of kesar da dhaba, aaloo kulcha ful of makkhan and loves having poori cholley.
Sudhanshu, who shot to fame as a lead singer of ‘Band of boys’, a Indian rock group emerged a decade ago, went on to act in the films. He has acted in Singh is King with Akshay Kumar and now when he got a chance to prove his acting skills in Punjabi film, he said,”I am quite excited for the release of this film as I have really worked hard for this film and this film is quite near to my heart. Working with Sudeepa has been a very good experience as she is a very fine actress and very sweet girl too. This film sends a very good social message to the society. I urge that people must watch it and that too in cinemas. Please say no to piracy.”
The film isn’t crammed with philosophy or social lecture baazi. The issues are dealt with all seriousness but in a simple and realistic fashion. “This is something Punjabi Film industry hasn’t seen, its beyond the Jatt and NRI homecoming genres we’ve seen so far,” he says, and the issues expressed are global yet so personal, people will find an instant connect. That’s the beauty of it.”
However, Gautam rues the urban Punjabi audiences aren’t really interested in Punjabi cinema. “They shy away from watching it. But I ask them to watch this film. It’s their story and different from what Punjabi films are. We haven’t tried any gimmicks, it’s a simple story and the story has been the focus,” says he. Also the film, he adds, is in people’s own language. The kind of Punjabi we speak at home.” Gautam, whose first film Akhiyan Udeek Deeyan, was based on female foeticide, is these days delving into another idea that celebrates one man’s resilience through unrest. We hope this film to be release by the 4th of February.