In order to reach at the zenith of the ladder of success, it is always better to take one step at a time and that’s how these actors carved a niche in the Punjabi film industry.
Here’s a hand-picked list of actors who started their acting journey with supporting roles and eventually paved their way to play the lead roles in blockbuster Punjabi movies.
1. Binnu Dhillon:
One of the most-loved actors of the Punjabi film industry, Binnu Dhillon has been surpassing benchmarks with each passing day.
Hailing his roots from Sangrur, Punjab, Dhillon was born with an avid interest in the entertainment industry. He took the plunge as a Bhangra performer and had an opportunity to perform at the Indian Festivals in Germany and the UK.
Dhillon also appeared in various theater plays and television serials before he entered the film industry.
It was only in 2007 when he properly entered the Punjab film industry.
While he was mostly seen in multi-starrer movies in supporting roles, the Punjabi audiences kept asking for more which got him movies like ‘Naughty Jatts’, ‘Channo Kamali Yaar Di’ and ‘Vekh Baraatan Challiyan’ wherein he was seen playing the lead roles that have been critically acclaimed.
2. Ranjit Bawa: Singer – turned – actor, Ranjit Bawa rose to fame from his single “Jatt Di Akal” which broke many Punjabi records across the globe.
Bawa eventually ventured into the Punjabi film industry. He bagged his first role in Ballewood with Priyanka Chopra’s first Punjabi production venture ‘Sarvann’ wherein he was seeing playing a pivotal supporting role.
With the passage of time, he received an array of offers for lead roles such as Toofan Singh.
3. Ammy Virk: Another singer – turned – actor from the Punjabi entertainment industry, Ammy Virk started his career with a single track which received love and appreciation from Punjabis from across the globe.
Later on, he did other songs including “Yaar Amli” and “Jatt Da Sahara” which popularized him in the Punjabi music industry globally. His first album “Jattizm” was released in 2013 which got the “Best Album of The Year” award in PTC Music Awards.
His most popular song, “Qismat” which was released in 2017 also led to the movie ‘Qismat’ starring Sargun Mehta. Virk’s initial movies like Angrej and Ardaas say him in supporting roles. However, he later signed up for lead roles in blockbuster movies like Bambukaat and Qismat, to name a few.
4. Jordan Sandhu: ‘Teeje Week’ fame singer, Jordan Sandhu has also proved his mettle in the Punjabi film industry.
Sandhu marked his debut in the world of cinema with the supporting role of Bant Singh in the movie Subedar Joginder Singh (2018).
Ever since then, he has got many offers to enact as the protagonist of the movie. Some of such movies include Kala Shah Kala starring Binnu Dhillon and Sargun Mehta, and Gidarh Singhi starring Rubina Bajwa.
5. Kulwinder Billa: Last but not the least; Kulwinder Billa is another singer – turned – actor who has been showered with unconditional support and appreciation for his acting acumen.
He started his singing career with the albums “Koi Khaas” and “Punjab”, whereas, he started his acting career with Subedar Joginder Singh in which he was seen playing the role of Ajaib Singh (Sipahi).
He later made his debut as a lead actor with film Parahuna starring Wamiqa Gabbi. The movie was released in 2018.