With films like Jawaani Janeman, The Girl on the Train, De De Pyaar De, Pagalpanti and more; actor Diljohn Singh is steadily cementing his place in the industry. Soon to be seen in a pivotal role in Akshay Kumar's Bell Bottom, Diljohn Singh talks about his journey to the UK, Bell Bottom, his debut and more.
How did you make your debut? How did the journey start for you?
Growing up all over India, one gets to see people and culture up close and I always found it fascinating how people are so different yet so similar. The thought of being able to explore it always excited me. There's an early memory embedded in me of receiving accolades for a small sketch about a sikh boy and his love for bhangra I did while my Dad was posted in Tambaram, Chennai. As a kid it felt amazing to be appreciated just to dress up and externalise your inner thoughts. I definitely had moments that this could be my calling. But yes, I did engineering because of society standards; you can't cheat yourself for too long and moreover I wasn't a good engineer to start with. So soon I found myself in audition rooms in Bombay finding my way to do what I love doing.
I auditioned and got the project The Last Goodbye. It got a pretty amazing response and it got a rating of 7.9 on IMDB. It was my debut project. It was pretty simple, then I made the right choices for my character and fit the vision of creators.
What made you shift to the UK?
The idea of a bigger playfield is exciting and don't forget longevity in a career which in India at times is an issue , not anymore with the rise of OTT but when I left India it was a concerning issue. Also you can't change the fact that if you do theatre in the UK you can still make a decent living to sustain a modern lifestyle. Like you can live rather than struggle. I always felt one can struggle to find desired work but one shouldn't be struggling to live life. Life should be lived and work should find its way through it.
Soon I realized after 3 years of modelling stint in Mumbai and with leftover grey cells from engineering that like any other skill set I have to learn it and develop it so auditions from drama school started. I looked into NSD FTII before looking outside India, as I did expose myself to world cinema / theatre early on. I was more interested in the storytelling part and theatre studies in the UK has always been a benchmark, so I picked the UK.
Have you ever had a fanboy moment?
Working with Kumud Mishra sir in Jawani Janeman was a fanboy moment, I guess. I always admired his work and just to be in the same frame and able to open my mouth is courageous enough. Just to contain my inner joy and not get caught was on my mind mostly while convincing myself just chill dude. Working on that project with him, Nitin and Saif was to trust my instincts.
Tell us a bit about Bell Bottom and Akshay Kumar.
I still can't share much about the film, but people will see a different me in the film. It was an enriching experience to work with a versatile actor like Akshay Kumar in the film. He is an amazing person and he is very much disciplined and focused on sets. It's good to work with such a versatile actor and an experienced one too. Yes, it's something new that will add to my resume as an actor.
