Paramvir Cheema taking one step at a time

Riding high on the massive success of his latest release “Border 2”, Paramvir Cheema says he is taking one step at a time.

“I’m not from the industry; I’m an outsider. I don’t have anyone from my family in the industry. So, I’ve to work a little harder to create a mark for myself in the hearts and minds of people,” he said.

Cheema, who rose to prominence with his critically-acclaimed performances in “Black Warrant” and “Chamak”, says it was a conscious decision to strategically built a presence on OTT before stepping into the Hindi film industry.

Following a steady rise through shows like “Kaleerein” and “Half CA”, the actor solidified his reputation with acclaimed performances in “Chamak” and “Tabbar”. However, his true breakout moment came in Vikramaditya Motwane’s “Black Warrant”, which paved the way for his transition to the big screen.

Cheema recently made his Bollywood debut in Aanand L Rai’s “Tere Ishq Mein” alongside Dhanush and Kriti Sanon.

“When I first worked on OTT, people started appreciating me. So, an audience base was built from there, and eventually I got confidence that, ‘People like me’. It made me feel that people are interested in watching (good) content, unlike earlier times where they would watch film (of only) stars,” Cheema said in an interview.

The Jalandhar-born actor said he was initially interested in acting, regardless of the platform. However, he soon recognised the potential of cinema.

“For me, acting is all about giving my best performance. Gradually, I understood the reach of films, and that you can become a star by doing films. This is what my manager used to tell me,” Cheema recalled.

Also read: ‘Border 2’ storms past ₹200 crore mark in just five days

“I knew that not many people will go to the theatre to watch my films, and I didn’t want to start out with a flop film. Hence, I build an audience (base),” he said.

In “Border 2,” Cheema portrays the character Subedar Nishaan Singh. The film, a sequel to the 1997 film “Border”, features Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty, Mona Singh, and others.

“Doing a film with Sunny sir, Varun bhai, Diljit bhai, this is such a big cast, and if I’m able to stand out and create a mark for myself, then there’s nothing better I could ask for. I’m doing a Punjabi film as a lead (hero) with Sonam (Bajwa). I’m taking one small step at a time (in films),” the actor said.

Interestingly, “Border 2” was going to be Cheema’s Hindi cinema debut but Aanand L Rai’s “Tere Ishq Mein”, in which he plays Sanon’s husband, was released first.