Guns ‘n’ Roses

What Romeo was to the Bard,Mirza was to 17th century poet,Peelu. A strapping young man,passionate,fearless and madly in love with the breathtakingly beautiful Sahiban. There are a few love stories where the man’s name comes first,for his was considered a greater sacrifice. Mirza was one such legend of love. Come April 6,filmmaker Baljit Singh Deo’s new age Mirza – The Untold Story will redefine the love lore that still resonates in Peelu’s verses. It will also reinvent Mirza — the fine archer will now be a gun-toting gangster. He rode his horse like the wind,but now,he’ll burn rubber on his hot wheels. Zipped up in leather and aviators,Mirza is already making waves on the internet. “He is dark,angsty,brooding and very melancholic,” says singer and actor Gippy Grewal for whom essaying the role of a modern Mirza was “definitely a challenge”. The affable Grewal,known for his chatterbox cheerful ways,found Mirza’s silence and aggression difficult to deal with. “The first ten days of the shoot were tough,for all I had to do was give the look and I was finding this silent treatment tortuous along with the fake tattoos I had to flaunt in the film,” he says.

As Emerging India and Speed Records presented the rushes of the film at The Taj,Chandigarh,Grewal pointed out that the film has got amazing effects and a technical advantage. Fast-paced,it’s a modern day Romeo & Juliet meets Westside Story film. “Punjabi films are usually products of regular daal-roti plots. But with Mirza,we walked the extra mile,” says Grewal. Shot extensively in Vancouver,Canada,in a budget of more than five crores,the film’s director,Deo,brings his training as a filmmaker in Britain to the fore. In fact,according to Grewal,Deo had written the script in English and wanted to make it in English. “But we got producers like Inda Raikoti and Aman Khattar who backed the project in Punjabi,” says Grewal. Mirza,he says,is a Punjabi action-romance flick.

Another interesting addition is Mirza’s soundtrack composed by musician and rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh,(it’s his first commercial venture). There are a whopping 11 songs,eight of which have been sung by Grewal. While Sunidhi Chauhan has sung Dil Tera,Kamal Khan has lent his voice for Maula. Pakistani folk singer Arif Lohar has sung his rendition of Mirza and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has sung Akhiyan. Grewal will be performing on songs from the film,in the city,on March 30.

In the meantime,Honey Singh also debuts as an actor with this movie. Mandy Takhar plays Sahiba,and other actors include Jaggi Singh,Rahul Dev and Binnu Dhillon. “The action in the movie is totally Hollywood style and the film’s backdrop is the gangster style culture prevalent amongst the South Asian community,in particular the Punjabis in the BC (Vancouver) area,” says Grewal,who is also doing a Punjabi comedy Carry on Jatta and Best of Luck with Jazzy B.

Grewal’s third Punjabi movie after two box office hits,including Jihne Mera Dil Luteya and Mel Karade Rabba,Mirza will release with 200 prints across India. April 5 will also see a high-profile red carpet premiere of the movie in Chandigarh at DT Cinemas.