Ali Abbas Zafar on the hair chopping scene in Jogi: I told my crew to lock their cameras and leave | Exclusive

Ali Abbas Zafar and Diljit Dosanjh collaborated for Jogi. In an exclusive chat, Ali spoke about the intense scene involving Diljit chopping off his hair.

Ali Abbas Zafar’s Jogi, which is streaming on Netflix, has won him a lot of praise and critical appreciation. The stark depiction of the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots has struck a chord with audiences all over the world. What has won Ali a lot of acclaim is his approach to telling it like it is, without censoring out the gory details. The Diljit Dosanjh starrer’s most sensitive and chilling moment comes when the actor chops off his hair to avoid the violent mob and protect his clan who are seeking refuge in a Gurudwara. Ali’s handling of such a sensitive moment is also one of the biggest highlights of Jogi.

Describing how he went around shooting this important scene, Ali told IndiaToday.in, “What was really important was that when he reads the script, he finds his justice there as a person who comes from that community. For the Sikh community, Dastar is the biggest emblem of Sikhism. So when Diljit read the script, I asked him ‘should we edit out something if it is insensitive?’. And he said nothing. He said whatever you have written is what actually happened. He was the first one to tell me this scene is the soul of the film. This is the biggest sacrifice anyone who belongs in this community will make to save the lives of people from that community. And that is why that scene became the most pivotal point in the film.”

Describing how they shot this stark scene, Ali shared, “When I came on set, I placed my cameras and I said we cannot do this scene three or four times, I will have one take. I told my technical crew, I would have one take, do whatever you have to do, and then I said lock your cameras and leave. Diljit was very sombre. We spoke for five minutes and I told him what I wanted him to feel. And I said no one can explain it better than you yourself. I can just give you a little bit of motivation, but I don’t want to direct you in this scene. This is your scene, you have to own it. And everything that Diljit has done in the scene is all his.”

He continued, “And I feel super emotional talking about the scene. There were 5-6 people and they couldn’t look at it. They were looking down and they had tears in their eyes because it’s something that you can only feel when you watch the film about what this man is doing. And that is why when the film finishes, this is his, we reinstate the fact and what he does when that Kada comes back in his hand and that Dastar is given back to him and colour of which is blue. Blue colour is the colour of valour in Sikhism. So, for me to bring that back because there is a system that takes dignity back from him and how that same system gives him that dignity back. It was one of the most difficult yet beautiful scenes I have ever shot.”

Jogi which is streaming on Netflix stars Diljit Dosanjh, Hiten Tejwani, Kumud Mishra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub and others.