Ammy Virk completes 10 years as an actor: Now we are approached to play heroes, not just a Sardar character in Bollywood
On completing 10 years as an actor, Ammy Virk opens up on the change in perception of Punjabi actors in Bollywood, especially due to him and Diljit Dosanjh
Ammy Virk recently completed a decade in the industry as an actor, and talking about it in his signature quirky style, he quips, “Ab to senior si feeling aa rahi hai. Pata hi nahi chala ki kab time nikal gaya but pyaar bahut zyada mila hai.” The actor-singer states that it has been an amazing journey and while his musical career started way earlier, he was inspired by the likes of singer-actor Kishore Kumar to venture into acting.
“Even when Bollywood started in the ’30s and ’40s, the actors first entered as singers and chose acting later. That’s the kind of culture that even Punjab follows. There are two advantages for makers also of casting them as they have a fan following already and they have faced the camera before as well. Kaam kar kar ke seekh liya hai itna ki it has become easier,” he says.
Reflecting on his 10 years as an actor, Ammy Virk takes pride in his success rate at the box office. “You need your first few films to do well to mark your footing, and fortunately, for me, it happened. I got back-to-back successes, and even till today, my success ratio is 80-85% and it’s rare. I have grown day-by-day and even made films that weren’t usually associated with Punjabi cinema,” he says.
With the likes of him and actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, Punjabi artistes have found a pan-India footing and have been actively working in Bollywood, and Ammy feels it has brought about a much-needed change: “Now we are being approached to play heroes and not just a Sardar character in Bollywood,” he states, adding, “Up until a decade or so ago, Sardars were used in Hindi films just for comedy or gags. What we were not, we were shown as that. We would question why are they showing us like that? But over time, they recognised the potential of Punjabi stars including people like me and Diljit paaji and they started approaching us. The makers started taking real Sardars for Sardar roles and that brings authenticity.”
{{/usCountry}}With the likes of him and actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, Punjabi artistes have found a pan-India footing and have been actively working in Bollywood, and Ammy feels it has brought about a much-needed change: “Now we are being approached to play heroes and not just a Sardar character in Bollywood,” he states, adding, “Up until a decade or so ago, Sardars were used in Hindi films just for comedy or gags. What we were not, we were shown as that. We would question why are they showing us like that? But over time, they recognised the potential of Punjabi stars including people like me and Diljit paaji and they started approaching us. The makers started taking real Sardars for Sardar roles and that brings authenticity.”
{{/usCountry}}Taking the example of Animal, Ammy says, “Vanga (Sandeep Reddy Vanga, director) sahab took actors from Punjab for the parts of (actor) Ranbir Kapoor’s cousins. So, the writers and directors today are not thinking as how typical bollywood used to. They are also vying to get as close to reality as possible. They also want ki aise characters se us region ki khushboo aaye.”
While his success ratio in Punjabi has been high, Ammy is yet to see a big success in Hindi as his first two films–Bhuj: The Pride Of India (2020) and ’83 (2021) failed at the box office. Even his last two releases– Bad Newz and Khel Khel Mein (both 2024) were average grossers too. But he is unperturbed. “The industry in Mumbai knows my calibre and potential. They know the timing was a bit dicey for my releases, but if given the chance, I can prove myself. Film upar neeche hone se artiste ki kaabiliyat kam nahi hoti, bas rate upar neeche ho jata hai,” he ends.
