Young Vedang Raina, a Kashmiri Pandit by birth, plays a turbaned Sardarji in Applause Entertainment’s Main Vaapas Aaunga,, which opens in cinemas on 12 June. Directed by Imtiaz Ali and also featuring Diljit Dosanjh, and Sharvari, the film also boasts music by AR Rahman.
Vedang is naturally thrilled by the opportunity to go where actors like Dharmendra (Jeevan Mrityu), Akshay Kumar (Singh Is Kinng) and Sunny Deol (Border) have gone before.
Says Vedang, “It is highly flattering to be named along with these legends. I am honoured to be playing a member of community known for its valour and national pride.”
Was it tough getting into the turban? “It took a lot from me. A lot of reading, research, staying in Punjab. I read about Sikhs and their history. Their culture. The dialect. I had to learn to tie the turban. I must confess I don’t do a great job with it and luckily I had help during shoot. But I did try to learn it and did a moderately decent job.”
Noteworthily , this is not the first occasion when Imtiaz Ali has pressed into action a non-Sikh actor to play a Sikh. In Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal (2009) Saif Ali Khan and Rishi Kapoor, both non Sikhas, played turbaned Sikh characters.
