By R. Paul Dhillon – Editor DESIBUZZCanada

Punjabi films have not had a great year at box office and it’s a known fact that 85-90 percent of Punjabi films don’t make their budget back. 

But it doesn’t stop brave souls behind the camera (producers and creatives) and in front of the camera (actors and creatives) to continue the path to the big silver (now digital) screens and as they should. 

Creativity and cinema is like food – human beings are dead without its nutrition for the body, mind and senses. 

At the press conference for the locally produced Punjabi film Vadda Ghar (Big Family Home) Tuesday night in Surrey, well known Punjabi singer-actor Sarbjit Cheema laid out the dire scenario for Punjabi films at the box office against mountain of losses that producers have suffered and will continue to suffer for a long time unless the financing structure and digital and streaming (OTT) revenue changes. 

Vadda Ghar, like lot of independent and low budget Punjabi films, find out it’s a tough path to the big screen, as after producers spend the money making the film – they find no distributor love and have to spend more money releasing a film that maybe shouldn’t be released theatrically but every producer wants the big screen or bust! 

And despite a film not being a releasable film, producers have the right to release them in theatres and take a chance of it working or failing (the latter being a sure-fire thing). 

So congrats to producers of Vadda Ghar for finally getting the theatrical release on December 13. 

It’s not important whether the film succeeds – in Punjabi cinema just getting the film to the theatres is success – it’s important for the entire team that film is seen on the big screen even if it is for a short period, with more losses to release the film as most times a theatrical release doesn’t even cover the cost to put it in theatres. 

But remember – Passion does not have a Price!

R. Paul Dhillon is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker who has written, directed and produced over 40 productions including two theatrically released feature films starring Gulshan Grover.