Philosophy and more

Sheetal

After the success of Punjabi film Shayar, actor Satinder Sartaaj, writer Jagdeep Singh Warring and director Uday Partap Singh came together once more to announce a new Punjabi film, Apna Arastu, on Saturday. The film, set to release on February 7, 2025, stars Satinder Sartaaj and is being written by Jagdeep Singh Warring. It will be being directed by Uday Pratap Singh.

Sartaaj, who is known to be selective about his projects, says, “It’s all about a good subject. When Jagdeep and Uday shared this new film’s concept, I couldn’t say no. They believe in creating films that appeal to both critics and audiences, and Apna Arastu is a step forward it this direction.” From the first-look poster, it seems the makers are set to bring a fresh and innovative storyline to the big screens for cinema enthusiasts.

On the success of Shayar, Sartaaj shares, “It’s not just our effort as actors, but also the whole team — writer, director and producers — who believed in a project like Shayar. I have always said the credit for a film’s success goes most to the writer, who thought of that idea or story first. But after working in Shayar, I got to know even directors deserve equal credit. Actors have an equally important role to play too.”

What is Arastu?

Arastu is the name for philosopher Aristotle in Punjabi. For a person like Sartaaj, who is himself a PhD, reading Aristotle’s philosophy is not new. “To make songs for the movie, I am sure revising all that is there about Aristotle. Sometimes when you look at something you have read multiple times with a fresh perspective, it might give you a new idea about how to approach it.”

So, is there an Aristotle out there in today’s time? “There are such people in this world, but they are born this way. Not many can become perfectly like Aristotle, but they can practice his philosophy.”

As for writer-director Jagdeep and Uday, together they have done six projects, including Buhe Baariyan, Dil Diyaan Gallan, Maa Da Ladla and more. They shared, “We have always tried to bring something different for our audience and sometimes we have even taken risks. For a film like Shayar, which was not in the commercial category, Sartaaj and Neeru’s performance moved viewers to tears in cinema hall. In our projects, there is always some message for the audiences. Apna Arastu will be no different.”