Manjot Singh’s short film wins award at US fest

Mumbai, Sep 24 (IANS) Actor Manjot Singh is excited about his short films victory at a film festival in Washington DC.

Manjot's short film, "Dream 1", recently bagged the Best Short Film Award at the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival.

In the film, he plays Gurwinder Singh, an actor struggling to make his mark. His identity of a Sikh makes his struggle tougher.

"When I got a call from Varun Sihag, the director of the short film, he narrated me the concept. I could connect with the subject instantly because I've been through something similar. If this reaches a wider audience, it's a strong message for all the Sikh actors out there who want to prove their mettle," said Manjot.

"Since I could connect to the story, I felt I'll be able to do justice to the role. Luckily, everything fell in place. At the time of the narration, I was certain that the film has the potential to travel to different festivals. Winning an award at such a prestigious festival is a great achievement and I'm proud that good content has takers across the globe. The film was also screened at the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival. It was an honour to hold the trophy and to be part of the screening. I'm hoping the film travels to other festivals as well," added the "Fukrey" actor.

Talking further about his role and how the subject touched him, Manjot said: "It's a film about a Sikh guy who is struggling to make an identity. He feels that since he is from a Sikh family, it's difficult for him. He goes for film and ad auditions every day, but is instantly rejected. His journey is about this fight. He feels that a Sikh shouldn't be restricted to just comic roles."

Manjot latest role is playing Ayushmann Khurranna's buddy in Bollywood's latest 100-crore hit, "Dream Girl".