Gippy Grewal starts Bollywood innings with Lucknow Central, recalls failures

His Bollywood film, Lucknow Central, with Farhan Akhtar is set for release in mid-September.

Punjabi singer-actor Gippy Grewal’s journey is a determined war against setbacks.

Punjabi singer-actor Gippy Grewal (HT Photo)

“Even I’ve lost count of the setbacks but I fought back, again and again, to reach where I’m today” says Gippy, who has taken a leap with his Hindi film, Lucknow Central, with actor Farhan Akhtar set for release in mid-September.

Gippy, whose real name is Rupinder Grewal, says: “Initially, my two music albums failed to click with Punjabi music lovers. I failed in the third attempt too. I invested a lot in these ventures. My marriage with Ravneet Kaur brought me luck in 2004. At my wedding reception, I sang the song Phulkari. Fortunately, it appealed to guests. The producer of my third music album was present there and decided to make a video of the song.

Gippy and Ravneet would shuttle between Canada and Punjab for nearly three years. They invested their earning in music albums.

While he was struggling, his father, Swinder Singh, a civil engineer, suffered a stroke in 2003. The family had to sell its ancestral land to meet the expenses for his treatment but in vain. “My father wanted to see me as an established singer. He was fond of (singer) Kuldeep Manak. My only regret is that my father saw only my struggles not my success,” says Gippy.

Bollywood calling

On his role in Hindi film Lucknow Central, in which he plays the role of a Sikh called Palli who is a murder accused, he says: “In June last year, I was in Australia when director Ranjit Singh and producer Nikhil Advani approached me. The concept was so interesting that I spent three hours listening to the script on Facetime.”

Gippy, who has worked in Punjabi films, says working in Bollywood is different. Hindi film directors hold workshops of the cast to help artistes bond. “The workshop helped me overcome jitters of working with stars and shake off my inhibitions on the set,” he says.

“I bonded well with Farhan, who shares my passion for singing. We used to have singing sessions in Hindi and Punjabi between breaks,” he says.

Gippy has also sung ‘Mitar Pyaare Nu’ in the film. “I’ll soon join the team to promote the film across the country, including Pune and Lucknow jails,” he says, adding he has two Hindi films in his kitty.