Phillauri: Never faced any camp system in Bollywood, says Diljit Dosanjh

Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh says he never faced step-motherly treatment in Bollywood.

Diljit, who is a name to reckon with in Punjabi cinema, made a successful Bollywood debut last year with Udta Punjab and is now gearing up for the release of his second Hindi film Phillauri.

The actor-singer says everyone in the film industry treats him with respect and he has had a wonderful experience so far. “I have never faced it (discrimination) nor has anybody tried to do bad to me. Whoever I met, they greeted me with respect and love. I never felt any camp system here,” said Diljit.

Asked what he thinks about the camp system in Bollywood, he says, “Yes, when you make films you can have your ‘team’. One team is making a film like this, another will make a different film.”

Besides Diljit, Udta Punjab also featured another male actor, Shahid Kapoor. Phillauri also features another male lead - Life of Pi actor Suraj Sharma.

Diljit says he doesn’t ponder over the number of actors featuring in a film with him and rather looks for a good story. “I have no such wish, to be honest. I want to do movies with great stories. The content should be strong. I have no problem if there are several actors with me. The number of artistes can vary but the content should be good. I have no such desire (to be solo),” he added.

“I look at the story and see what I have got to do in the film. Sometimes the story is great, set up is good but there isn’t much for you to do. I don’t want to do that.”

While he was paired opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan in his Bollywood debut, in Phillauri, slated to hit the screens on March 24, he will be seen opposite Anushka Sharma. “They both are huge artistes and extremely dedicated to their work. I have seen Kareena ma’am work really hard for her role. Same goes for Anushka ma’am. Another plus point for her is that she is the producer as well,” he says.

“It’s a big achievement to come from a non-filmy background, do good films and set up her own production house. On the sets I never felt she was also the producer. But still she prepared for her role really well.”

Diljit has no plans to slow down on Punjabi films. “No. I do Punjabi films every year. I’ll start one in June and there is another which will release soon. It’s not difficult to manage both Hindi and Punjabi film industry. There are 365 days, and movies get made in two months. For a director it is tough because he has to be with the film from the start to finish,” he says.

Having worked in both Hindi and Punjabi films, Diljit feels there is hardly any difference between the two industries. “Most of the Punjabi directors, music composers are here because it’s easy here,” said Diljit.