Treading his own path

Jasmine Singh

Comparisons are inevitable; expectations are as high as Burj Khalifa... Punjabi actor Pukhraj Bhalla has taken all it in his  stride. The constant mention of his father, popular actor, comedian Jaswinder Bhalla only makes him more humble and inspires him to get at least near to the milestone that his father has set. 

With six films down the line, Pukhraj has managed to create his own fan base, “I still meet people who first tell me how they love my father’s work and then they are quick to add that they like my work too,” shares the young actor who didn’t start out to be an actor just because his father was one. “I wasn’t too serious about acting initially but as I started accompanying my father to film sets, I saw myself being drawn in this creative world.”

Pukhraj got his first break with Stupid 7, his repertoire thereafter grew with time.  RSVP, Baisakhi List, Harjeeta, Golak Bugni Bank Tey Batua...Pukhraj sees himself growing with each film. Though one would guess, comedy to be his strong genre, he finds comfort in grey shades. “I like comedy, but I like to do roles that have a grey touch.”

 This doesn’t mean he rules out comedy, in fact Pukhraj has been appreciated for his comic role in the recently released Punjabi film Golak Bugni Bank Te Batua. Some things are in the genes, right? “Maybe,” he smiles sharing the thing about comedy which is common to both father and son. “My father himself writes all his punches, and the same goes for me as well, I like to improvise and also add my own lines,” he takes pride in this comparison.  Pukhraj also takes pride in the fact that he has a mentor in his father. “Whenever I am stuck with my role or in getting the variation right, I know whom to call, I am glad that I can fall back on my father for advice.”

Now that Pukhraj mentions the word fall back, it becomes almost necessary ask whether this young and smart actor has sealed any second options for himself. He smiles. “I just completed my B Tech in film making and production and now I would be pursuing MBA in the same trade. The thing is that I am not very good in studies, and I see myself living and breathing films and everything related to it.”

 It is too early to actually think of second options, as it is too early to do a film as a lead hero. “I get many offers for solo lead films but I don’t want to take plunge unless I am prepared to carry a project on my shoulders. Besides, you can call this as my father’s rub off effect, I enjoy doing character roles and bringing variation in them.”

 Like boys his age, Pukhraj likes to hang out with friends when he’s not shooting, he knows that somewhere he is supposed to be extra careful with his public conduct, Pukhraj says he can’t get the hang of being a celebrity. “I like meeting people, talking to them, I like being complemented for my work and my father’s ,of course,” he laughs. So basically limelight hasn’t changed anything for him, he cannot miss his mother’s phone calls, he is always under his parent’s radar always and he clicks endless selfies still. Pukhraj throws his head back in laughter, “Pretty much the same, except for the fact that now I have learnt to live with the weight of comparison and I have turned it around as my goal.”  

jasmine@tribunemail.com