Punjabi cinema, popularly known as Pollywood, refers to the Punjabi-language film industry centered around the Indian state of Punjab, and based in Amritsar and Mohali.
Dolly Mattoo is an Indian actress and former model, well known for winning the Miss India Universe contest in 1988. She has acted in Hindi, Punjabi, and Kannada films. She has also worked in Hindi TV shows such as Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? Ek Baar Phir and Choti Sarrdaarni. During the 1990s, she worked in negative shades in Mukesh Khanna's popular serial Mahayoddha as Rajkumari Bijli and in Shaktimaan as Shaliyaa - Catwoman; considered as India's first actress to play Catwoman. She is currently acting in Shaadi Mubarak as Kushala Tibrewal.
Diljit Dosanjh, mononymously as Diljit, is an Indian singer-songwriter, actor, film producer and television personality. He works in Punjabi Music and subsequently in Punjabi and Hindi cinema. Dosanjh entered Social 50 chart by Billboard in 2020. He is featured in various music charts including Canadian Albums Chart, UK Asian chart by Official Charts Company and New Zealand Hot Singles. His movies, including Jatt & Juliet 2, Punjab 1984, Sajjan Singh Rangroot and Honsla Rakh are among the highest grossing Punjabi films in history.
Darshan Pal Singh Grewal is a producer of Punjabi movies Jatt & Juliet (2012) and Dharti (2011). He has also produced Babbu Maan's Ekam - Son of Soil (2010) and Hero Hitler In Love (2011). His next movies as a producer are Jatt and Juliet 2 (2013) and Just U & Me (2013). He is also the owner of Punjabi music channels Josh and Tadka.
Rupinder Singh "Gippy" Grewal, is an Indian actor, singer, film director and producer whose works span over Punjabi and Hindi film industry.
Jatt & Juliet is an Indian Punjabi-language romantic comedy film directed by Anurag Singh and produced by Darshan Singh Grewal and Gunbir Singh Sidhu. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh opposite Neeru Bajwa. It was released to theaters on 29 June 2012. Upon release, the film became a massive blockbuster at the box office and also won multiple awards at the PTC Punjabi Film Awards 2013 including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. The film also spawned a sequel the following year, titled Jatt & Juliet 2 featuring most of the same cast and crew. The sequel also broke records at the box office, and ended up becoming the highest-grossing Punjabi film ever. It was remade in Bengali in 2014 as Bangali Babu English Mem.
Jatt & Juliet 2 is a 2013 Indian Punjabi romance comedy film directed by Anurag Singh. The film is a sequel to the 2012 blockbuster Jatt & Juliet, however not directly or story-wise. Actors Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa reprise their roles from the previous film in the sequel amongst other characters. The film released on 28 June 2013, almost a year after the release of the prequel, and received a positive response at the box office. Jatt & Juliet 2 went on to become the highest-grossing Punjabi film ever, thus beating the record previously held by the first Jatt & Juliet film. Jatt and Juliet 2 is the first ever Punjabi movie to be released on Blu-ray. The movie was remade in Bengali in 2018 as Inspector Notty K.
Anugrah Bohrey is a Canada-based Indian Film-maker. He started his film career with White Hill Production Inc., as a screenwriter for Best of Luck (2013). He is currently involved with the production of a sport based film, Himmat Singh. He is an alumnus of Vancouver Film School and London Film School.
Anurag Singh is an Indian film director. He is a Mumbai-based film director and writer known for Kesari which is the biggest blockbuster of 2019 in the Bollywood industry as well as for Punjab 1984, Jatt and Juliet Series and Yaar Annmulle. Jatt and Juliet series and Punjab 1984 are the top three highest-grossing films of Punjabi cinema. He has also directed a Bollywood film Raqeeb which didn't do well at the box office. Anurag has assisted many blockbusters of Bollywood cinema. In 2005, he was married to his childhood sweetheart Madhurjeet Sarghi, a theatre artist and an actress who also hails from Jalandhar. In 2016 Anurag and Sarghi had a boy named Shivaye Anurag Singh. Anurag has an elder brother named Armaan Singh who is a well-known chief engineer in California, United States. Anurag gets to interact a lot with kids especially his nephews and nieces who live in Jalandhar. Anurag made his production debut by producing Super Singh which broke many records, under his production company named Brat Films. He has also produced Shadaa, which broke many records, and Puaada, which was released in April 2021.
Ranjit Singh Bajwa known professionally as Ranjit Bawa is an Indian singer and actor associated with Punjabi language music and films. He rose to fame from his single "Jatt Di Akal" which broke many Punjabi records. He made his debut in the 2015 album, Mitti Da Bawa which was awarded the "Best World Album" award in the 2015 Brit Asia TV Music Awards. He has also received "PTC Best Folk oriented Song Award" in 2013 for his Song in 2013, Jatt Di Akal. He made his film debut in playing the title role in Toofan Singh, a semi-biographical film about the 1980s Punjabi activist Shaheed Bhai Jugraj Singh Toofan.
Rana Ranbir Singh is an Indian Punjabi actor working in Punjabi cinema and Hindi cinema.
Mandeep Benipal is an Indian film director. He made his directorial debut with movie Ekam - Son of Soil in 2010. Later he came up with the movie Sadda Haq (2013), Yoddha (2014) and Dakuan Da Munda.
Manmord Sidhu, is an Indo-Canadian film producer, director, and distributor who is primarily known for his work in Punjabi films. Manmord Sidhu was 20 when he moved to Vancouver with his family. There he enrolled in Vancouver Film School. Sidhu made his directorial debut with the blockbuster Best of Luck.
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known professionally as Sidhu Moose Wala, was an Indian rapper, singer and songwriter. He worked predominantly in Punjabi-language music and cinema. He is generally regarded to have been one of the greatest Punjabi artists of his generation and to many, amongst the greatest Punjabi artists of all time. Moreover, he was considered a key figure in opening the door to mainstream music for Punjabi artists.
Qismat (transl. Destiny) is a 2018 Punjabi romantic drama film written and directed by Jagdeep Sidhu. Produced by Shri Narotam Ji Productions, the film stars Ammy Virk and Sargun Mehta in lead roles along with Guggu Gill, Tania and Harby Sangha in supporting roles. It was titled after a 2017 song of the same name, sung by Virk and starring Mehta in its music video. The film follows a man who falls in love whilst studying in Chandigarh, despite his marriage being arranged to another woman. It marked feature film debut for Tania.
Gursimran Singh Sidhu is an Indian singer, record producer and song-writer associated with Punjabi Music and Punjabi cinema. He is best known for his songs "8 Parche","Bamb Aagya","Vaddi Galbaat","Gabhru","Dekhi Jau","Ashke Ashke","Taakre" and many more.
Amardeep Singh Gill is an Indian director, screenwriter, producer and lyricist associated with Punjabi cinema and Punjabi music.
Anita Devgan is an Indian film and television actress, who is known for her work in the Punjabi film industry. Her most well-known works are the films Jatt & Juliet, Ronde Sare Vyah Picho, Angrej, Bambukat, Rabb Da Radio, Golak Bugni Bank Te Batua, Mr. & Mrs. 420 Returns, Puaada, and Ni Main Sass Kuttni.
Kamaldeep Singh Dhaliwal, commonly known as Hobby Dhaliwal is an Indian film actor, singer, and politician. He is known for his works in Punjabi and Hindi films. Dhaliwal began his career by debut movie Burrraahh in 2012. The films Angrej (2015), Lahoriye (2017), Jora 10 Numbaria (2017), and Ardaas Karaan (2019) are among his best known works.
