If you listen to Jassa Ahluwalia speak Punjabi with your eyes closed, there’s every chance you’ll assume he is fully desi. Rather, fully Punjabi. But open your eyes and listen, and you’ll wonder if a gora (white-skinned) British actor has done a stupendous job of mugging up lines in Punjabi. Truth be told, Jassa is both, not half British or Punjabi. That’s also the hashtag (#BothNotHalf) that he and his sister (also an actor), Ramanique use on social media to publicise their work. And their thoughts about mixed heritage.
“My father is Punjabi, and mother is British. I look gora or white, while my sister looks more Punjabi. It's curious,” says Jassa, talking of his mixed heritage.
But strike a conversation with him in Punjabi and you’ll agree he is as Punjabi as most of us living outside India are. You’d ask how does one measure Punjabiness? Here’s a simplistic yet unquestionable yardstick that Jassa measures up well against: he can’t stop himself from breaking into bhangra when he hears the favourite Punjabi musical instrument, the dhol; he loves to say ‘Englaand’ when talking about the country of his birth and residence and loveshis daal (lentils) with gandhey (onions) and lassan (garlic). And, of course, his name, which takes you back to your school history textbooks wherein you read about the great Sikh leader Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
Also, like most Punjabis, Jassa wanted to be an actor. Yes, that’s no joke. Punjabis do have a histrionic streak to them. Check Bollywood.
“I lived with my Punjabi grandparents in Leicester and we’d only speak Punjabi at home. As early as the age of three, I used to visit Punjab during holidays, where for two months, I’d only speak Punjabi, without realising which language I spoke,” says Jassa who says ‘Englaand,’ totally Punjabi style.
Not yet 30, Jassa has recently made his presence felt on the big and small screen after a successful start in theatre, perhaps the best training ground for an actor.
A British-born Punjabi-bred actor-director-producer, his most recent outing in the world of showbiz was at the Brit Asia TV’s Punjabi Film Awards in London this week, where he was invited to present the Best Female Playback Vocalist award to acclaimed Punjabi singer Mannat Noor for her hit song Laung Laachi.
In February, he attended the British Academy of Film and television Arts (BAFTA) Filmmakers Party, whose invitation can be secured by only those who have made a mark in the world of British showbiz. Not too long before that in 2018, Jassa’s directorial debut, Heart’s Ease, won the award for best film at the Nottingham International Film Festival and Leicester International Short Film Festival. His film was also screened at the London Short Film Festival and San Diego Film Festival in 2018.
Jassa (left) posing with his relatives and a chicken during one of his childhood visits to Punjab. Source: Instagram/JassaAhluwalia
None of Jassa’s performances have had a Punjabi character so far. “I’d love to do a Punjabi character soon, may be in a TV series or a movie. I recently went to Mumbai to meet people there,” says he. But in the hilarious videos he posts on his Twitter and Instagram accounts -- which understandably went viral in no time -- where he mouths robust Punjabi lines, doubling as himself and his Tayaji (father’s older brother), more than make up for the missing Punjabi oratory in his commercial performances.
Click on the player at the top of this page to listen to this interview in Punjabi.
