I had the privilege to recently meet the God of Punjabi Entertainment: the singer, songwriter, director and acclaimed actor Mr. Gurdas Mann. He was in town for the release of his latest movie ‘Chak Jawana’, a movie based in a village in Punjab where the youth have fallen prey to drug addiction. The turmoil of the parents seeing their children wasting their life and affecting the village atmosphere is portrayed in the movie. Then shows up Captain Gurjeet Singh (played by Mann) of the Indian Navy to save the day and put the disillusioned youngsters on the right path. ‘Chak Jawana’ has been scripted by the debutant director Simerjit Singh with Rupinder Chahal and has music by Jaidev Kumar.I asked Mr Mann about why he wanted to make this movie, and what message he wanted to give to the youth with this movie. To my question he quickly corrected me by saying that this movie isn’t merely for the youth but for everyone, as the parents and loved ones of an addict are all together involved in both making an addict and helping the addict to leave the vice. The movie gives a message to everyone and their roles are important. The problem of the drug Doda that affects the GTA has deeply saddened Mr Mann and he urges the GTA community to go watch his film. Mr Gurdas Mann says that ‘Chori, yaari, nasha chupaya nahi chupda.’ (even though on might try to hide addiction
and bad deeds, no one can really hide it for long).I don’t follow Punjabi but I doubt there is anyone who doesn’t know Gurdas Mann and his catchy songs like ‘Dil da Mamala’. Mr Mann has popularised Punjabi music and songs from the early 80’s. He introduced us to his vibrant melodies, enriched with the soil of Punjab in every word. This Punjabi munda was born on 4th January, 1957 in Giddarbaha, Muktsar District, Punjab, India.
Gurdas Mann was educated in Malout and gained a Master’s Degree in Physical Education from the National Institute of Sports, Patiala. He competed in many athletic event
s and won medals including a bronze at the National Championship. He is also a black belt in Judo. Mann took part in youth festivals and it was here, upon seeing his performance in a play, a producer of a Jalandhar TV station approached him for a TV recording of his song ‘Dil da Mamala’, which Gurdas reluctantly agreed to. When the song was aired on December 31, 1980 it stormed the nation and Gurdas Mann became a household name. The overwhelming success of the song grabbed the attention of HMV who wanted to record the song and from this came his second album in 1981. He starred in the hit film ‘Shaheed Udham Singh’, and ‘Des Hoyaa Pardes’.Gurdas has produced over 27 albums and has written over 200 songs. He also wrote and directed TV programs like POP Time for Doordarshan Delhi. The ever-popular "Apna Punjab hove" track has surpassed all other songs by Gurdas Mann. This track has received awards for The Best Song, Album & Best International Artist of the Asian Pop and Media Awards held in Birmingham in 1998. This song was originally written by Makhan Brar, who lives here in Toronto. As Gurdas Mann was performing in his concert in Toronto, Makhan Brar handed this song to him. It became a hit at that concert. Later on Gurdas Mann added a last verse to this song "marjaane Maana kion Punjab Janda khind da" and included it in his forthcoming album.
When I asked Mr Mann about his 30 year career in entertainment and the struggle he had to go through to achieve what he has now, he simply states that “Struggling is a part of life. It doesn’t matter what profession you are in; what matters is how you deal with the situation you are in at that particular time. If one is bold and has the ability to fight he shall overcome any situation he is put in; all you need is confidence in yourself and a little faith in the almighty.”
I asked him about the different caps he has worn through the years and which cap he finds the most challenging. To this he very eloquently said “I love to be on the stage and have that one-on-one interaction with my audience. With the mood of my fans I change an
d decide what songs to play; at times I change the line up on-the-spot because what’s important is that my fans enjoy their time with me. To understand them and please them during live performances is what I find most satisfying.”Well, it was a pleasure for me to meet this wonderful gentle man who was kind enough to sing me a song from Chak Jawana before I took my leave. Not only did he sing it, but knowing that I don’t follow Punjabi completely he explained it to me as well. Do make sure you watch Chak Jawana and listen to his music. I know I will! A pleasure meeting a legend of Punjab! Here is to another 30 years of Gurdas Mann entertaining us!
A STARBUZZ exclusive
-by Diksha Pal Narayan
-Pics by Ben Girn
Well done.
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