Real sardars, Pakistanis cast for 9/11 film

Puneet Issar is going all out to get the casting of his next directorial film, I Am Singh, right. In an attempt to make his characters more realistic, the actor-turned-director is roping in real Asian immigrants, who post the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, felt discriminated.

Puneet Issar is going all out to get the casting of his next directorial film, I Am Singh, right. In an attempt to make his characters more realistic, the actor-turned-director is roping in real Asian immigrants, who post the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, felt discriminated. The film, which releases on December 2, mainly deals with the atrocities the Sikh community faced post the attacks.

HT Image

A source close to Issar reveals that the film’s storyline demanded for the roles to feel and look real. For instance, debutante actor Rizwan Haider from Pakistan will be playing the role of a Pakistani in I Am Singh.

The director actually travelled to the neighbouring country to handpick the actor. For the role of the Sikh protagonist, more than 400 people from Chandigarh, Amritsar and Patiala were auditioned. Finally, Gulzar Chahal, a resident of Patiala, was chosen to play the role of Ranveer Singh.



Singh, a young man lives life on the edge, but is jolted back to reality when he learns that his brother is dead and the cause of his demise, is still unknown.

“I needed a guy who came from the region as my film is inspired by real life incidents and that’s why I have launched new comers. My script is the star. The new comers have done a fabulous job. With I Am Singh, I want to reiterate the fact that everyone wearing a turban isn’t Osama (slain terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden). The film takes a look at the discrimination Sikhs around the world, faced post 9/11; I want to banish stereotypes. This film is going to be an eye opener,” says Issar, who last directed Salman Khan in Garv: Pride And Honour (2004).

Apart from directing and writing I Am Singh, Puneet also plays the role of the real LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) cop, who was suspended after he refused to get rid of his turban and shave off his beard, post the 9/11 attacks.