39 years on, ‘Chan Pardesi’ to again hit screens in 2020
The film won India’s National Film Award in 1980 and went on to become a big commercial success in 1981, the shooting of the movie had started in 1979
After 39 years, the revival of popular Punjabi movie, ‘Chan Pardesi’, will hit the cinema screens again in 2020 as its new poster was released during the Chandigarh Literati International Lit Fest 2019 here on Saturday.

The poster of the 1981 film was released by its director Chitrartha Singh and one of the producers Baldev Gill during the fest at the Lake Club.
‘Chan Pardesi’ was a seminal film that debuted many Bollywood actors, who later became legends, both in front of and behind the camera. It was also Bollywood superstar Raj Babbar’s first film.
The film won India’s National Film Award in 1980 and went on to become a big commercial success in 1981. The shooting of the movie had started in 1979.
Chitratha Singh said, “After many years of hard work by the film crew, the movie became a milestone for the Punjabi cinema as it was the first movie to win the national award.”
The stars and other team members of the movie reunited on the stage of the fest on Saturday. “Whatever we have done so far after this movie, will not make us so much proud as this movie did. We were all freshers in our fields as we had no experience,” said Sigh.
Subhash Sehgal, editor of the movie, said, “I had edited over 40 movies before working for Chan Pardesi. It was totally a different experience that we will never forget. Actually, the importance of the movie is increasing with each passing year.”
Chitrartha Singh said that before this movie, the Punjabi cinema was dominated by the people, who had migrated from Lahore, and the dialect of those movies was different, but by this movie ushered in a new era of Punjabi cinema.
The new version of the movie will be a digital upgraded one as many new things such as colours, sound have been reviewed in the movie. “After upgrading the movie as per the present technology, it will be released again in 2020.” said JS Cheema, who was also one of the producers of the movie.

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