EXCLUSIVE - Angad Bedi on Soorma: Diljit Dosanjh is a very secured individual; Taapsee Pannu is like my buddy

Angad Bedi is all set to step into the shoes of Sandeep Singh's brother Bikramjeet Singh for Shaad Ali's Soorma. He has given his sweat and soul for the character and has got to learn a lot while shooting for the film. We got a chance to meet Angad when the trailer released and he was all excited to tell us about Bikramjeet's journey and how his sacrifices made Sandeep Singh who he is now. Angad also talked about working with Diljit Dosanjh and Taapsee Pannu. 

The very first question that we asked about his character. To which, he told Pinkvilla, "This journey is about two brothers. Yes, it's a biopic about Sandeep Singh as he was the one who was shot in his spine but at the same time, it's about the sacrifices of his brother. It's Bikramjeet Singh's sacrifice that got Sandeep back on feet. There was a time when Sandeep was told that he couldn't play Hockey anymore but it was his brother who helped him go back on the field. Bikram made him work 10 times harder and help him improvise. The film is not about Hockey. People have seen Chak De! It's about two brothers and it's how Bikram helped Sandeep come back to playing Hockey."

It's a hard bet to play a character that has been lifted from real life story. On this, he said, "It's a very thankless job to portray a real-life person. It's not easy and even if you do your best, people will say something or the other. It's like if Ranbir wants to be Sanju and he tries as hard as he can, people will still say 'Yahan Wo Sanjay Nahi Lag Raha'. You can't please everyone - just be true to what you're doing. I can't be Bikram like I am 6.1, he is 6.4. How do I become that? Yes, he has a strong built and I can't go beyond a certain limit. But what I can do is to learn from him and observe him. He has got such high energy and at the same time when people turned backs, he made sure to get Sandeep back on the field. In their house, there's not a single photo of himself and I asked him about it. He told me 'that all the medals of Sandeep belong to me and I love him more than my son'."

He continued, "These are very earthy people and belong from Shahabad. This is our misfortune that we belong to Mumbai, Delhi or Kolkata. That's not India. Shahabad is India or maybe Ludhiana is India. When we went to Shahabad, we realized that people stay together and they live for that. There's a certain degree of appreciation and they are grateful to one another. I didn't take any reference point and Shaad told me you have to love Diljit Dosanjh as your real brother and son. For Bikramjit, his brother means life to him and we don't have such enduring stories."

Diljit Dosanjh plays the role of Sandeep Singh and we also have Taapsee Pannu in the lead roles. We asked Angad about working with Diljit for the first time and Taapsee for the second time after Pink. 

Angad was all praises for co-star Diljit. He said, "You know what makes Diljit Dosanjh a good actor is the fact that he is a good human being and is a very rooted individual. He has a lot of regard for other artists. I remember when I met him for the first time we hugged each other. I miss him when he is not around. He is a very secured individual and he is a giving person." 

About the Naam Shabana actor, he said, "Taapsee is like my buddy and she is fearless. The kind of work she is doing, she had evolved. We three form a good bond and we are proud of each other."

Well, in the course of shooting the film, they all had to learn Hockey. "We all learnt Hockey. I am teaching Taapsee and Diljit in the movie. I had to learn it completely. I have played against Diljit, as in real life that has happened. We had to understand the game completely," said Bedi. 

When you play real-life characters onscreen, you do get learn a lot and that was also a case with Angad. "The love for their parents. In today's world, brothers are ready to kill each other for property but here they stay in one house and train together every day. They have the same synergy and they consult each other on everything. Bikram is so emotional and happy to see his brother on this stature. I am amazed with the fact that these two brothers taught us hockey. If there would have been anyone else, they wouldn't have done this. Every day at 4.30 am, there were there. They didn't leave any stone unturned. The way they hang out together, Diljit and I started doing the same. That's the beauty of the film and I just people enjoy the film," said Angad with a smile on his face. 

Angad belongs to a family that has roots in Cricket and now, he is doing a film based on Hockey. We asked him is it Cricket or Hockey for him. Making his point clear, he said, "To be frank, I want to learn more about Hockey. I understand Cricket is all over but we have many unsung heroes. I want to hear children say that we want to become Sandeep Singh. We have heard enough that we want to become Sachin or Dhoni. I hope this film encourages children to opt for Hockey."

"Pink has changed things for me and for Taapsee too. We got recognized as actors. Soorma, hopefully, will add inputs too. I have other projects too. The journey was fruitful and now I need to do more diversified roles. I am banking on Soorma," Angad bid a farewell to us with an emotional note.