‘My formula is to be happy’

Manpriya Singh

Even when asked to choose one, Ammy Virk would rather have both — a National Award and commercial success! Even though he came to know of the significance of the former only recently, “Ranveer Singh and Kabir Khan told me how big a deal a National Award is. Honestly, I wasn’t aware before. They said, ‘You know how few people have won a National Award.”

In Chandigarh, for the launch of his latest song, Haaye Ve, the singer-turned-actor is a bit too late, speaks fast, as he always does, but makes up for it all by being honest rather than eloquent.

Fame over money

This year’s award winning film Harjeeta experienced both ends of the spectrum, when it comes to a movie’s fate. While it couldn’t recover even five per cent of the budget, it went on to win two National Awards. He was happy with the accolades, but there is no undermining the significance of box-office returns. “The budget of Harjeeta was twice the budget of my commercial films. I worked really hard for a year. I stopped eating to get the lean look. My mother would ask me what’s wrong? But then eventually the film tanked at the box-office. It was disheartening.”

Despite being what is often referred to as inspiring, real and great cinema, it didn’t do well, “because probably there were too many films on hockey at that time.”

Bollywood debut

While ’83 has all it takes to be a dream debut for any actor (it’s a film where he essays the character of cricketer Balwinder Singh Sandhu), a big budget, Kabir Khan for a filmmaker and Ranveer Singh for a co-star, wouldn’t a Bollywood debut as a lead actor be a better idea? “Na ji na, Marna hai? Lead actor, in fact, I never debuted as the lead actor in Pollywood, let alone Bollywood. I debuted in Angrez, it was a side role, that too a negative character. It was only in the fourth or fifth film that I got a play the lead in Nikka Zaildar and there too I had to share the limelight with Bebe (played by Nirmal Rishi).”

He can’t emphasise the risk enough, “If the film does not do well, naa taa mera hai lagna.” ’83 is a film for which he has, “practiced a lot.” But then that’s not the first time he plays a sportsperson. Having ticked off several roles from his bucket-list that does not even exist — a debut as a villain, followed by a parallel lead to finally a lead actor, not to forget the biopic. “I have done singing and anchoring too. The endeavour is always to keep trying new things, keep doing new things.” But there is nothing that immediately needs to be ticked off his list.

What a heart-break!

As for the recent sad song, it’s not something that really resonates with him, “it’s just that I like sad songs since people like me in sad songs. I have also tried my hands at a beat song but that did not work, so it’s an attempt at giving people what they want.” But has he ever had his heart broken? “It takes me a long time to get hurt. My formula in life is to be happy always.” Be happy and hum a sad song! That’s Ammy Virk for you.

manpriya@tribunemail.com