I am on a ketos diet so I avoid sugar, dairy products, wheat, grain or pulses.
Puneet Issar
Every antagonist is a protagonist in his own right.
There is no meaning to light if there is no darkness.
With newcomers in your cast, any producer would allocate a budget of not more than Rs 5-6 crores. But the scale I wanted was big and Sardar Peshaura Singh Thind left no stone unturned in the making of 'I Am Singh.'
I believe that history is written by the victors, but what about the vanquished? They also have a story to tell.
Every House has a Duryodhan, Dhritarashtra, Shakuni, Arjun, Karan, Gandhari, Bhishma . That's the Beauty of 'Mahabharat.'
Duryodhan was a prince fighting for his throne. He was powered by ambition and aspiration. Parshuram is godly. His fight is against injustice at a larger societal level. I've enjoyed playing both the characters.
What is wrong is wrong but there has to be a layered narrative. And that is what makes 'Mahabharat' timeless. People find its characters realistic. They could see their reflection in people even today.
I have proved myself as an actor and now I want to show my fans that I am a good dancer too by participating in a dance reality show.
The turban is a Sikh's honor, pride and art.
I played Duryodhan, the young prince, 28 years ago. People still identify me as Duryodhan. But at 55, I cannot hope to play a 25-year-old.
'I Am Singh' is about Sikhs, who, despite living in the U.S. for generations, were mistaken for Arabs and Afghans due to their turbans and became victims of racist violence in the aftermath of 9/11. The film takes a look at the discrimination against Sikhs post 9/11.
Being in front of a live audience is like taking an steroid shot. The applause, the claps in each and every dialogue , people being mesmerized by the performance, and the standing ovation is unparallel. This kind if a feeling you can not get in any other medium!
In 2017 I started writing 'Mahabharat An Epic Tale' and it took me two years to write it and prepare the production with Rahul Bhuchar of Felicity theatre, and we launched it on the 17th of Nov 2018 and it was a super success.
I was nominated 13 times during my 15-week stay in 'Bigg Boss' but they couldn't get me out. That is because I was truthful and entertained the audience with my good sense of humour.
'I Am Singh' is primarily about mistaken identities that led to racism post the 9/11 attacks.
We often know only one version of the story... the version portrayed by the person who wins a war and lives to tell the tale, and the one who loses a war is always remembered as the 'Antagonist' making the victor the 'Protagonist.'
Americans need to embrace Sikhs more and Sikhs need to take the initiative to educate people about their religion.
I had read the 'Mahabharat' thoroughly even before meeting B. R. Chopra Sir. I knew the most important character was Duryodhan. Without him the 'Mahabharat' would not have happened. I straight away went and asked for that character itself.
I feel I am the reincarnation of Duryodhan. There are lots of similarities between me and him.
I have always had a heavy built and have been into all sorts of physical activities like weight training and martial arts.
Age is just a number. It's all in the head.
I would work out seven hours a day - 3.5 hours in the morning and 3.5 in the evening.
I feel Karna is the noblest character in the 'Mahabharat,' and Duryodhan is reason for the war between cousins.
Artificial intelligence is taking over a lot of things. Jobs are going to go but artists and theatre are not going anywhere because it is live performance.
As you age, you should be graceful.
I think 'Garv' was ahead of its times.
It is very difficult to shoot mythological shows. The costumes and the make up are very time consuming... It definitely takes a toll on the body.
Though I enjoy playing historical characters, it is very taxing.
Many star kids constantly get compared to their fathers and are unable to match their parent's mettle. But I am proud to say that my son has taken the legacy forward.
The beauty about the 'Mahabharat' is that every character has shades of grey.
Theatre is my first love.
For me, 'Bigg Boss' was like a correction centre. I think every man and woman in every state should be sent there. People take so many things for granted. They will learn to appreciate what they have once they have spent some time in the house.
God has been kind, people have given me a household name. Even after 30 years, they think I am Duryodhana.
Filmmaking seems more difficult but theatre comes with its own challenges.
Actors thrive on challenges. Only then can you perform.
I'm an actor and I keep changing my roles.
Parshuram's is a very detailed character. People generally know him as an angry man who goes around cursing. What they are not aware of is the undercurrent of pain behind every curse of his. I bring out this pain in the character.
You cannot have another 'Ten Commandments' or 'Ben Hur' or 'Sholay' or 'Mother India.' Likewise you cannot have another 'Mahabharat.'
I find the character of Jarasandh, the King of Magadha, captivating and challenging since he was invincible.
In the heady days that followed the success of 'Mahabharat,' I was young, vain and didn't care much about the story. But in the next two decades, I read a lot on the epic.
At a broader level, 'I Am Singh' is an anti-racism film.
'My Name is Khan' saw the post 9/11 scenario from a Muslim perspective. In fact all films dealing with the post 9/11 conflict - whether 'New York,' 'Kurbaan' or 'Khuda Kay Liye' only showed how Muslims were victimized.
Sikh is a 500 year old community and they have been living in U.S. for the past 114 years. Yet the Sikhs were mistaken to be Arabs in the post 9/11 scenario and beaten up. Doesn't this sound bizarre? I mean Sikhs and Arabs are as different as chalk and cheese.
History written by the victims trickles down in the form of folklore.
In prose, if you forget a line, you can say something else in the same context.
See, my relationship with Salman is of mutual love. But just because he is a good friend of mine, I wouldn't want to use him for a cameo in my film or ask him to endorse my film. That is not me.
Tulsi Ramsay has been my mentor. In 1982, he and his brother Shyam Ramsay, came to me for 'Purana Mandir.'
In 2004, I was visiting my cousins in San Francisco and we were in a restaurant talking in Punjabi. We suddenly saw heads turn. And one of the Americans at the restaurant abused us and called my cousins, 'turban-headed Osamas.' That strengthened my resolve to make a film that highlights the issue.
Unlike the victims of 9/11, who received plenty of relief aid compensation from the government and charitable institutions, those who suffered hate crimes were given very little. As tax-paying citizens of the country, they too deserved similar compensation.
