Veerendra - A Great Actor Of Punjabi Cinema

The Godfather of Punjabi Cinema Veerendra

For a long time I wanted to write about Veerendra. And a lot of people were demanding. Today we bring you an article on the life of Veerendra.

The eighties and nineties for Punjabi cinema were entirely dedicated to Virender. If we talk about 'Sarpanch', 'Balbiro Bhabi', 'Nimmo', 'Jigri Yar', 'Sardara Kartara', 'Yari Jatt Di', the role of 'Jita', 'Karma', 'Sucha' in these films.Is still ingrained in the minds of viewers today.Veerendra was one such actor. He has portrayed Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiyat very closely on the screen.Veerendra made the problems of the people of Punjab, social norms a part of his films. In the film 'Sarpanch', he narrates the story of drug-ridden houses and shows how drug traffickers resort to destroying the youth of Punjab to fill their pockets.Similarly, the film 'Nimmo' portrayed the personality and popularity of a singer from two different angles. Through the film 'Balbiro Bhabi', he brought the folk hero of Punjabi stories 'Sucha Surme' on the screen. The film 'Yari Jatt Di' is based on the story of a beautiful girl whose stepmother is lured by dollars and marries an old man from Canada.

Veerendra was born on 15 August 1948 in the city of Phagwara in the Punjab. Renowned film star Dharmendra and Virender were cousins. Prior to appearing in films, Veerendra Phagwara worked as a booking clerk in a private industry. When he went to Bombay, Calcutta for his work, he often stayed with Dharmendra.The dazzle of films impressed Veerendra and he made up his mind to come to films. Veerendra's first film was 'Teri Meri Ek Jindri' in which he faced the camera for the first time as a protagonist. Dharmendra also acted in the film made by famous lyricist Inderjit Hasanpuri under the banner of 'Ludhiana Films'.Veerendra was very shy. During the shooting of this film, he had very close scenes with actress Meena Rai. The hit song 'Teriyan Mohabbatan Ne Maar Sutta, Das Ki Karan' sung by Narendra Biba was filmed on Veerendra.After this film, he became completely dedicated to Punjabi films. As well as acting, he also acquired good knowledge in film directing.

Veerendra paid special attention to the story, dialogues, locations and songs of his film. He would lose the song to match the voice of the protagonist of the film. Mahendra Kapoor was his favorite singer. This was the reason why the music of his film was released by a well-known music company. Viewers of Veerendra's films were eagerly waiting. His film was in the same cinema for several weeks. The love that the audience got for Verendra's films was less than for anyone else.During his 12-year film career as a writer, producer-director and protagonist, Veerendra gave about 25 films to the Punjabi audience. 'Lambardarni', 'Laajo', 'Vari Jatt', 'Saida Jogan', 'Batwara', 'Balbiro Bhabi', 'Rano', 'Sarpanch', 'Santo-Banto', 'Teri Meri Ek Jindri', 'Sardara' Kartara ',' Jigri Yar ',' Jatt Surme ',' Kuara Mama ',' Giddha ',' Takra ',' Dharamjit ',' Yari Jatt Di ',' Jatt Te Zameen ',' Nimmo 'etc. Are He also acted in two Hindi films 'Khel Muqaddar Ka' and 'Do Chehre'. However, many heroines worked with Verendra but veerendra's pairing with Preeti Sapru became more acceptable.

An artist like Veerendra attached to the soil of Punjab will not be reborn. He always talked about people in his films. There was no hypocrisy in his films. If Veerendra were alive today, Punjabi cinema would be somewhere. Veerendra himself was a good artist, he used to tell good things to other artists as well. Yograj Singh, Preeti Sapru, Gurcharan Pohli, Saroop Parinda, Meher Mittal, Sukhjinder Shera, Director Ravinder Ravi, Mohan Baggar etc. started their film careers from Veerendra's films.Veerendra often used to say that Punjab is my own. I am an artist associated with the soil of Punjab. On December 6, 1988, this talented actor of Punjabi cinema fell in love with Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiyat. He was shooting the film 'Jatt Te Zameen' at Talwandi village at that time. After Veerendra's death, desolation engulfed Punjabi cinema.Veerendra's wife Pammi Veerendra also said goodbye to this world a few years ago. They have a daughter and two sons. Following in his father's footsteps, his eldest son Randeep made a film 'Dulla Bhatti'.Although Punjabi cinema today has an international reputation, the gap in Virender's Punjabi cinema can never be filled. New filmmakers need to learn a lot from Veerendra's films. That would be a true tribute to that great artist.

Husanpreet Singh