For the next Punjabi movie Shayar, Neeru Bajwa and Satinder Sartaaj are teaming up again

Neeru Bajwa and Satinder Sartaaj, the popular duo of 2023, are back again for a new film called Shayar, in which they play Seero and Satta, respectively, to delight Punjabi moviegoers throughout the globe. We began with the most obvious question as they prepared for the film’s marketing, which is set to release this Friday: was it the off-screen friendship or the success of their last picture Kali Jotta that brought them back together?

“A little of both,” Neeru responds. After the public embraced our on-screen chemistry with the release of Kali Jotta last year, it seemed only logical that we collaborate on something shortly. Thus, my team had spoken with Sartaaj about Shayar, and he agreed with the concept as well. Working with someone you get along with is simpler, particularly when you have to film a project that requires you to spend 15–16 hours a day for over 40 days.

In a similar vein, it’s hard to pretend not to enjoy your co-stars. Thankfully, Sartaaj and I get along too well, and in the second movie, we had a lot more opportunity to get to know one another. As artists, we are developing. Neeru also believes that she has adopted two of his positive traits: the ability to be more patient and the ability to ignore people or circumstances that don’t need your attention or time.

Being a poet for a day

Shayar, directed by Uday Pratap Singh, is presented by Neeru Bajwa Entertainment. Jagdeep Singh Warring is the author of the script. Sartaaj, who is a real-life Sufi poet and vocalist, believes that playing the part of Shayar in the movie required him to relearn a lot of things. “I had to pretend to know a lot of stuff since my character in Shayar is training to become a shayar. It was rather difficult to do poorly in areas where you are strong. The benefit of acting is that you get to play a lot of people that you are not, like in the opening scene of the trailers when I am singing off key.

“I want to play a serial killer on screen; even audiences would be surprised to see me in that role,” Sartaaj continues. Neeru adds that Sartaaj has another challenge, which he begins planning for a day in advance when it comes to crafting reels. She continues, “He really detests these promotional tricks of creating trending reels before a movie’s theatrical debut, which is now required since everyone uses social media these days.

When asked what she believes is holding back the Punjabi business, Neeru, who isn’t afraid to show her feelings, says, “Besides not respecting time, industry never stood up on the strong foundation of professionalism.”