dToday, he has reached a position when he does not need any introduction any more. As a singer and actor, Ammy Virk‘s popularity has gone far beyond Punjab, the place and the industry he works in. His popularity is soaring and now he, rightfully, feels that it is time to spread his wings and step into the Hindi film industry as well. In an exclusive interview, he talks about his new song ‘Hath Chhume’, striking a balance between being an actor and a singer, why he prefers singles over full-fledged albums and Bollywood plans.
‘Hath Chumme’ has become immensely popular in just a couple of days. How did the idea for the video come to you?
It was Jaani’s idea. He is a music director and a lyricist. He has collaborated with me on my other songs like Qismat.
This is your second collaboration with Sony Music. You had earlier collaborated with them Sony Music for a music video titled ‘Taara’.
Yes, it was also my first collaboration with Jaani and B Praak. It was the same team. Sony Music is handling the marketing and distribution of ‘Hath Chumme’.It was Jaani’s idea. He is a music director and a lyricist. He has collaborated with me on my other songs like Qismat.
You are equally active as a singer and an actor. How do you strike a balance between these two careers?
No, there is nothing like that. Even if I do a film as an actor, there are songs in it. So, I get to exercise my creativity as a singer too. Films consume a lot of time. You shoot for 45-50 days and then, you have to promote it as well. You almost give a year to a film. Creating a song does not take a lot of time but it is always a challenge as you have to convey a story in just three or four minutes. Shooting for the video of ‘Hath Chumme’ was also a little difficult as we were shooting in the desert and we had to brave the rains as well. We had a window of for days and had to wrap up the shoot in the stipulated time.
The success of Diljit Dosanjh has opened doors for people in the Punjabi film industry to step into the Hindi film industry. Do you wish to do a Hindi film?
Yes, Diljit’s success has definitely made people from the Hindi film industry take notice of the talent in the Punjabi film industry. I am in talks for a Hindi film at the moment. If everything goes well, I will make my Hindi film debut in 2019.
Is there any artiste from Bollywood you would like to collaborate with?
I would love to work with Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and Varun Dhawan. I am very fond of them and a huge admirer of their work.
Many of the songs you have done deal with grief and heartbreak. They have a sense of pathos in them. Do you have a favourite genre or style?
In Punjab, there are some trends pertaining to music. Right now, if we come up with an upbeat song it will play only in a few clubs. But, during the winter when people mostly get married, these songs will also be played in weddings and other celebratory events. The reason why did a song like ‘Hath Chumme’ as we thought that since ‘Qismat’ has become such a huge hit, we need to create a better song in a similar space.
Unlike the earlier days when artistes used to release albums, these days people come up with one song at a time. How do you look at this trend?
Earlier, an album would have eight songs. They would make videos of three songs and the rest of the five songs would go waste. When you make a single, you can invest more in it. Your focus is just on that one song. You can make a goo video and promote it well. I have done albums in the past, so I have enough songs to perform in concerts. Now, I can comfortably come out with singles at short intervals. I think it is a good trend.
Can you share something about your forthcoming projects?
‘Qismat’ is releasing on 21st September. After that, I will come up with a couple of more singles towards the end of the year.