Did Soorma suffer because of Sanju? Angad Bedi responds

Actor Angad Bedi ended 2017 on a high note with his film Tiger Zinda Hai raking in big moolah at the box office. This year, too, has been an exciting one for the actor. He tied the know with actor Neha Dhupia in a hush-hush ceremony and soon after, his film Soorma, a biopic on hockey player Sandeep Singh [played by Diljit Dosanjh] released. The film might have not done too well at the box office but definitely received critical acclaim. “With folded hands, I want to thank all those who appreciated my performance in the film. It’s very rare that you get such unanimously response for your act. While Pink (2016) laid the foundation and Tiger (2017) gave me numbers and with Soorma, I was noticed by critics,” says Angad, who played the role of Bikramjeet Singh, Sandeep’s brother.

“I feel you need a big film to be seen but then, you also need to do something where you get to perform. Only then the industry notices you and gives you more chances with different kind of roles,” adds Angad.

Asked if it hurt that Soorma failed to make noise at the box office, Angad says, “Soorma was made on a budget of 22 core and we don’t expect it to do a 100 crore business, but it has definitely earned respectable numbers. It’s a more performance heavy film with a great story and content. A film like Masaan never had commercial success but it was critically acclaimed.”

He goes on to say, “Also, as far as opening is concerned, both Diljit and I are upcoming names in Bollywood and Sandeep Singh is not a name that many people recognise and it’s only through this film that people have taken notice.”

Angad further points that Soorma came in between films like Sanju and Dhadak, so it wasn’t easy to sustain. “Sanju is such a big film made on a Dutt’s life who is a rockstar. Then you have Ranbir [Kapoor], country’s loved superstar, Raju Hirani, the biggest filmmaker, Vidhu Vinod Chopra as the producer. With all these names coming together, it’s wrong to even have a comparison. Ours is a heartland story of two brothers and it’s very rural in that sense.”

Talking of working with Diljit, Angad calls him the brother he never had. “He is not my blood brother but my soul brother. I have really respected his work in Punjab. His music concerts and stage shows have got a phenomenal market both domestic and overseas. He’s got so much honesty in his performance. I’ll always value his friendship and brotherhood off screen. Though he’s a reserved person, we somehow had a great chemistry and bromance. It was surreal working with him,” gushes Angad.

Interact with Monika Rawal Kukreja at Twitter/@monikarawal

First Published: Aug 05, 2018 13:56 IST