Man who gave Diljit Dosanjh a break in films refuses to talk about him, wants to focus only on ‘nice people, positive people’ | Bollywood News

The Indian entertainment industry can be tough to navigate, and many find themselves stranded in the crowded landscape. Director and producer Guddu Dhanoa, known for movies such as Elaan (1994), Bichhoo (2000) and Jaal: The Trap (2003), shared stories from his career, and his interactions with celebrities such as Sunidhi Chauhan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sunny Deol, Dharmendra and Diljit Dosanjh.
In an interview with Friday Talkies, Dhanoa was asked about Diljit Dosanjh, whom he gave a break with the 2011 film The Lion of Punjab. Dhanoa said, “Let’s talk about positive people, real people, nice people, good people,” while evading any discussion about Diljit Dosanjh. But he proceeded to take shots at ‘people who change after fame’. The Lion of Punjab also starred Pooja Tandon, Gurpreet Ghuggi and Vindu Dara Singh.
READ MORE: ‘Saif Ali Khan ate your dog’: Actor Akashdeep Sabir recalls getting panicked call after his dog was mauled to death Amrita Singh’s pet
Story continues below this ad

While discussing how people change with fame, he mentioned another singer, Sunidhi Chauhan. “I don’t understand why people change. I have met so many different kinds of people throughout my life. I still remember that we were shooting Bichhoo, and I saw a 14-15-year-old Sunidhi, and she was singing the song ‘Ek Vari Takle‘, and I was stunned that she sung that song for the movie. She touched my feet, and I hugged her, but people forget all this later on. I even called her a few days back, but neither did she pick up nor did she reply,” said the director.
‘When you are starting out, you will touch the person’s feet, hug them, call them godfather, even god, and they will talk a big game, but later on, everyone changes,” added Dhanoa.
Dhanoa was also asked why directors from his era were now finding themselves out of work, to which he replied, “I don’t think people are trying hard enough, but I am still trying. I have a web series planned with Anupam Kher and Dimple Kapadia, and I am also working towards Deewana 2. He also mentioned a number of people whom he can describe as positive and warm, including Shah Rukh Khan, Sunny Deol, Amrish Puri, Priyanka Chopra, Anupam Kher, Vidya Balan, Akshay Kumar and more. Dhanoa last directed the 2015 Punjabi film Ramta Jogi.
Diljit has made a name for himself as not only a singer, but also an actor. He won accolades for his performance as the late Amar Singh Chamkila, in director Imtiaz Ali’s 2024 biopic.