From studying acting to becoming a lead actor for ‘Speedy Singh’. How did that come about?
Over two years ago I finished my university degree in Business in Toronto and then went on to New York to go to a film school. While I was there I started taking a lot of acting courses and to be honest I always wanted to produce and was always fascinated by the business side of film so my idea was to open up a production company in Canada, but when I went to school in New York I really got thrown into acting and started enjoying the craft and playing different characters

You starred and wrote for the film...
 I started studying acting to a very high level as I had the desire of wanting to be good at this. When I came to Toronto I wasn’t really connecting to anything and felt a bit down, so my father told me to write something for myself and that’s what they teach you in acting because creatively it keeps your mind working about roles and movies. I took elements of my life and my character Rajveer Singh in ‘Speedy Singh’ is where I was two years ago of a kid trying to find balance, trying to be Indian yet Canadian, trying to live up to his parents expectations but also follow his own dreams and a lot of the ‘Speedy Singh’ boys are inspired by a lot of friends of mine or my love for ice hockey, which is a backdrop for this film. I guess where I was in that point of time in my life, I just wrote it from the heart and had this little story and it’s become what it is today.   

Did you go through any audition process?
I always felt that I had written this film for myself and it was my dream role. I had always envisaged playing the lead but what was tough was when I was asked to audition for the film. I completely understand it as there were great producers on the line and they wanted to make sure their lead could carry this film, so I had a really tough audition and perform some very key scenes and I had to make them feel comfortable that I was playing this. When I started writing this I had no idea it would turn into a film. As more people started to hear about the idea, they became fascinated by it. Akshay Kumar who is a dear friend and one of the producers in the film, he was one of the first people to tell me to keep on writing it, we then took it to major TV networks and producer out in Canada, and the Government who funds films and before we knew it we had the script and the film.  

Tell us about your character?
When people go to watch the film, you can take your whole family with you. I feel that after a really long time a film is coming out that the whole family can enjoy for all age groups. My character presents a very strong message to our youth today, that you don’t have to change who you are in order to get something, don’t be afraid to challenge anything. Rajveer distances himself from his religion in the film in order to stay happy but realises that he didn’t have to do that. Hockey here is our religion, it’s our national sport! The point of the film is not to take sides, it opens up the issue between parent and child, for discussion.   

What was it like working alongside Russell Peters, Anupam Kher, Camilla Belle?
I get asked this a lot and honestly, I wasn’t nervous. I was very well prepared and I worked really hard so when I saw the level of production I realised what big production will be coming and all the great actors coming on board. When you’re on a movie set you don’t have time to be nervous, there’s too much pressure on the line, and I take it as unprofessional if you are nervous. When you have Anupam Kher who has been in around 450 films and is he playing your father, I can’t be nervous because I feel it’s disrespectful to him if I show up unprepared. As soon as I realised the level of all of this I knew there was no time to be nervous, you got to step up, and fortunately I had great co-actors who gave amazing support and had confidence in me.  

How did you keep a straight face working with Russell Peters?
Trust me, it was tough! My jaw was hurting trying to control my laughter all day long. The great thing about Russell is that he just keeps it so fresh and I really learned the importance of being spontaneous when working with him. Russell is such a generous co-actor and he will give you funny one liners, which is so cool. He has been a great producer on this as well and has been a really big elder brother to me.  

Are there any similarities to Bend it like Beckham?
It’s one of my favourite films because it was so pure, straight from the heart, and it was an inspiration but Speedy Singh is very different. There are comparisons because its sport, the whole cross over genre and Punjabi element, but they are very two different films. This is about an entire community and team, the love story and family plot is very different, but if people are talking about Speedy Singh and Bend it like Beckham in the same sentence then that’s an honour and I feel very blessed.  

Why is it important to talk about the Sikh culture?
We wanted to represent the whole Punjabi element and really show what the culture and religion is all about. Sometimes in Bollywood films, the Punjabi character is made out to be the comic relief of films and in this film its out tribute in a way to the Punjabi community. The film is about being a Punjabi, being a Singh, but a lot more than that. It’s about a team of boys who come to celebrate anybody who is different and even though the film is called ‘Speedy Singh’, the bigger message is that sports is a talent, its not about your race, religion, its about how hard you are willing to work to play this game and that’s what the film celebrates. That’s why the film has an international audience as the emotion is so universal.

You have a very cute look in the film. Ready for all the female attention?
I really don’t know what to say to that (laughs). We will see what happens. I’m actually a very shy person and am going to try to grow out of my baby face and it annoys me now but when I’m about 40 years old, I will be grateful for it! The support coming from all over the world for the film has been great and a lot of people are telling me that I already have fans but I really don’t like the word ‘fans’ because I feel those people who show you so much love and support should be called friends.  

You must’ve enjoyed playing alongside Camilla Belle?
Who would have thought that my first Bollywood film would be with Camilla Belle and also on skates! The song is a tribute to Bollywood, its a funny situation that my character gets into and has a big crush for this girl and gets hit on the head and goes a but loopy and has his Bollywood moments. It was a lot of fun and a tough song to shoot as we were on an ice rink and there was some CGI work involved but we wanted to make it very different and special. And I tell you something – Camilla can dance and I think is soon to be the next big Bollywood star. Keeping up with her when dancing was hard. I always tease her and tell her that she will get loads of offers from Bollywood.  

What did she make of the Punjabi culture?
She loves the Indian culture, she loves Bollywood clothes and dance and took classes for a while because she loves the music so much. And I didn’t believe her until she showed me her ipod, which had all these Bollywood songs and she is somebody who is really open to learning about different cultures. I’m sick of eating Indian food because literally every day that’s what she wanted to eat. With a host of international talent on the film, it shows that regardless where you’re from, they all connect to this script.
But you’re good at hockey, right? Did you parents disapprove of your career path?
Yes, I used to play a lot when I was younger and before we started this film we had to train really hard.  My characters mind frame is where I was two years ago. A kid who was a little lost, unsure of himself and trying to find balance. We always try to find a balance trying to live up to our parents expectations, and also following or own dreams, and finding the balance between being Indian and Canadian is something that I will always search for and that’s what makes this film so universal. Although its about South Asian’s, it’s really about a family at heart. There’s always an underlying emotion that happens with parents and children.  

It’s getting better now, wouldn’t you say?
Parents can feel at time they have left their countries in search for better opportunities, and I think they want to minimise that struggle for their children, and they want them to have secure futures compared to them having to work so hard. What I find fascinating in South Asian’s is that they don’t think about themselves but their future generation and how they can make it easier for them which I think makes our community so special. Even with me being brought up in Canada I sometimes think about my generations and how I want to work so hard to secure them. So that’s where the mind frame stems from and completely understand it and it is changing now. Parents are understanding that children need to do what they need to do, as long as they are happy then you are going to be successful.    

You must be so proud to be part of a big crossover...
It’s a little overwhelming at times, and a dream come true but I can’t take the credit for it at all. Its because of the hard work and belief from a lot of people, they believed in the project and wanted to take it to another level, and I’m a very small part of this.

South Asian films must be breaking into America and Canada...
Very much so, they are starting to appeal to a much larger demographic and UK was one of the pioneers of this, where Bollywood had become a buzz word such a long time ago, where Bollywood films would play in mainstream theatres. The UK has really paved the way for South Asian actors playing mainstream roles as well and I think that we have spread into Canada. Being South Asian right now is a very exciting time as an actor, there are a world of opportunities out there. I’m looking forward to marketing myself as an actor internationally and I plan on doing more writing.

Speedy Singh is out on 30th September 2011.