In a decade-long acting career, Ammy Virk has moved effortlessly between Punjabi and Hindi films. While Punjabi cinema has allowed him to experiment with diverse roles, his Hindi outings, from Khel Khel Mein to Bad Newwz (both 2024), have largely showcased his comic side.
Does he feel Bollywood still tends to treat Punjabi actors as comic relief? “Comedy koi chhota kaam toh nahin hai. But experiments have started. Diljit Dosanjh paaji has done Amar Singh Chamkila (2024). It’s not like we can’t do serious roles. I’ve done those in Punjabi films like Qismat and Harjeeta (both 2018), which also won the National Award. It depends on the kind of film really today,” he says.
The actor, who was recently seen in Goday Goday Cha 2, adds, “Comedy bahot badi cheez hai. To bring a smile to someone’s face has become difficult. We consume so much content already on OTT and reels, everyone has heard most jokes. You have to make faces, act in a way that people laugh when they watch. Hamara toh mann hai hum poori umar comedy karein. It looks easy, but it’s actually very difficult.”
{{/usCountry}}The actor, who was recently seen in Goday Goday Cha 2, adds, “Comedy bahot badi cheez hai. To bring a smile to someone’s face has become difficult. We consume so much content already on OTT and reels, everyone has heard most jokes. You have to make faces, act in a way that people laugh when they watch. Hamara toh mann hai hum poori umar comedy karein. It looks easy, but it’s actually very difficult.”
{{/usCountry}}On maintaining the fine line between clean and double-meaning humour, Ammy is clear. “Humein voh line rakhni padhegi. I have a daughter, tomorrow she can ask me, ‘Papa, what is this?’ after seeing such content. I’ve done 30–35 films, and I don’t think even one has a double-meaning line,” he says, adding, “It’s not just about what I speak, even words like ‘saala’, we remove wherever possible, even though it refers to brother-in-law. Anjaane mein shayad bol diye honge career ki beginning mein, par ab avoid hota hain.”