Rapreet Ghuggi Exclusive: he/she lost many roles because of his/her turban, but he/she did not change his/her principles

Jalandhar-born and famous stand-up comedian and artist Gurpreet Ghuggi has been in the industry for three decades, but he/she has struggled a lot. Gurpreet Ghuggi, who has worked as a typist and a hardware worker, got recognition from ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’. Gurpreet Ghuggi, who became famous in Punjabi films, has also been a part of many Hindi films. These days he/she is in the news because of the Punjabi film ‘Ardaas Sarbat De Bhalle Di’. A conversation with him/her: There was a time when Sardars were shown in stereotypical characters in the industry or were made a subject of ridicule for comedy, but in the past years, not only Sardar characters but also Sardar actors have not only been accepted but also liked in our industry. There are many artists like Diljit Dosanjh, Manjot Singh and Amy Virk, who have been hits with a turban. Gurpreet Ghuggi has also been with a turban since the beginning of his/her career.

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When we asked him/her how challenging it was for him/her to enter the field of acting with a turban, he/she said, ‘When we started, it was a very bad time. There was nothing else in life except struggle and that struggle was also for survival. But even then the turban was the crown of our head. We saw that many people changed themselves and entered the industry, but my funda was clear that if I have to do something in the industry, then I have to do it with a turban. I represent a region, so I have to represent that region in the same way. Every region has its own pride. I wanted to carry my respect with me. However, I knew that this path was very difficult. It has happened several times that I lost roles because of the turban.’

‘I did not want to make any compromise regarding the pug’
Gurpreet further said, ‘I would like to mention one incident in particular. I had a meeting for a very big film here in Andheri. The role was also very strong, but then the matter got stuck on the turban. I did not want to make any kind of compromise regarding my turban. Due to this, I lost many roles. I wanted to play the character in a dignified manner with my turban.

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‘We taught the industry that this is a turban, a dastaar and this is how it is tied and worn’
Be it ‘Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ or my films ‘Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’, ‘Khiladi 786’, ‘Singh is King’, while wearing the turban, we used to open it and fold it. When people asked why it was being opened, we would tell them that the turban is set and worn with full respect. Till then people thought that it is a set thing and it is picked up and put on the head just like that. We taught the industry that this is a turban, a dastaar and it is tied and worn like this. Whether the way to wear it was told by Bhatti sahab (comedian Jaspal Bhatti) or by us, but we are proud that we followed our tradition. Artists like Diljit Dosanjh carried forward that tradition. I think that all those who present their art with a turban, they deserve the credit for getting it accepted.

During the days of struggle, they were chased away from the gate
Gurpreet, who considers his/her struggle as his/her training, says, ’26 years ago when I started my career, there was a problem of food in our house. We were going through financial difficulties. We used to stand outside Doordarshan for hours. We were not allowed to go inside because we did not have an entry pass. We used to ride bicycles. We are very beautiful (sarcastically) and we had a village background, so we were a bit rustic, so seeing our looks, the people there did not think that we should go inside. We were chased away from the gate itself.’

Seeing our appearance, the people there did not think that we should go inside. We were chased away from the gate itself

Gurpreet Ghuggi

Gurpreet had struggled and worked hard for many years Gurpreet further says, ‘The circumstances were very poor, but even in those days we never begged God for money. I never asked God to give me money, bungalow or car. I asked for the strength to do good work and to stay in the industry. My struggle was not of two-four days or months. It was of years. Only after years of struggle and hard work, I was able to reach a position where the industry respects me like an elder brother. However, before coming into the field of acting, I did many kinds of jobs. I used to work as a typist in the tehsil. I also applied to become a Patwari, but I did not pass. I took a loan from the bank and started working in hardware. I struggled a lot, but I do not consider it as a struggle but as my training.’