Jashn Kohli was ‘Hurt’ by Sikh Portrayals in Bollywood

Jashn Kohli revealed that he has been “hurt” by the way Sikh characters are portrayed in Bollywood.

The actor recently starred in Amar Singh Chamkila (2024) as Pappu.

Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film starred Diljit Dosanjh as the titular character.

Explaining his disappointment at the way Sikhs are portrayed in the industry, Jashn Kohli said:

“I was hurt and wanted to change the way we are perceived and portrayed in Bollywood.

“We were either cast as a soldier or the hero’s friend.

“I would speak to writers, who agreed the shortcoming but had no means to change it.

“Recently, Diljit Paaji spoke about how people thought Sardars were only portrayed a certain way, and he changed it.

“When he spoke those words, it echoed the voice of so many from the community.

“Even I am on the path to help people see Sardars in a different light from what’s been shown all these years.”

In a previous interview, Diljit commented on the stylisation of Sikhs within Bollywood.

He expressed: “To be honest, I am not fond of clothes or swag.

“When we were in Punjab, the Bollywood films made at the time, they didn’t show Sikhs properly.

“So I decided that when I do Bollywood films, I’ll dress better than all Bollywood stylists. I know fashion.”

Jashn also delved into his experience working with Imtiaz Ali.

He said: “Imtiaz sir is a magician. It was my dream to work with him, and I am glad Waheguru Ji made it a reality.

“He is so well-researched that I really didn’t have to prepare much for the role.

“In fact, Imtiaz sir didn’t give me the script, and I was so confused during my first shot on set, and I was lost as I had no preparation.

“After the shot, Imtiaz sir came to me and said, ‘This confusion I wanted for Pappu’.

“I was like, ‘What an amazing director he is, so deep’.

“On set, Imtiaz sir never sees the monitor, he trusts his eyes, which is so unique.

“One more thing I observed is that Imtiaz sir chose very humble actors. It’s so divine to be on his set.”

Released on Netflix on April 12, 2024, Amar Singh Chamkila was praised for its music, storyline and the performances of Diljit and Parineeti Chopra, who played Chamkila’s wife Amarjot.

Meanwhile, Jashn Kohli is set to appear in the Punjabi movie Jahankilla.