Gurdeep Singh
Encyclopedia
Gurdeep Singh is a Sikh
artist and actor from India
who lives in the United States
.
Gurdeep Singh belongs to the famous Ahluwalia clan of Lahore
Punjab
. His paternal side of the family was wealthy land owners. His maternal grandfather was Commissioner of Police
in Lahore. During the Indian & Pakistan partition, his family was forced to flee in the middle of the night in the back of a truck. Gurdeep’s family had no choice but to leave all material possessions behind in Lahore.
After arriving in India
, his parents settled in Agra
, near the Taj Mahal
where Gurdeep was born, into a family with two older sisters and one older brother. His father had joined the Indian railways
as a carriage inspector. His father also fought alongside the British army
during the World War II
in Burma. Being the son of a railway official, Gurdeep traveled a lot with the family. He never stayed in one place for more than two years. After his father’s retirement, his older brother brought the family to Bombay (present-day Mumbai). In 1960 at the age of 17, Gurdeep graduated from high school in Bombay.
in major literary publications. His older brother was concerned about Gurdeep's exposure to the film industry at such a young age. To give him solid grounding, his brother put him in the prestigious Sir J. J. School of Arts. During his Sir J .J. school days, Gurdeep started furthering his name by establishing himself as a photojournalist, and was published in major publications in India. During his college days, he also received the impressive invitation to read his short stories on All-India Radio, Bombay. He graduated in 1967 with a degree in Applied Arts
and a diploma in Fine Arts.
Gurdeep’s big movie break came in 1969 when he was cast as a leading man
playing a Sikh in full beard and turban. This was historic for the Indian film industry
. In this award-winning film, Uski Roti, Gurdeep won rave reviews in the media as he played a tough hard-drinking bus driver
, who had a wife in the village and a mistress in the city. However, despite critical acclaim, it was not a good work experience for Gurdeep because of the double-talk and back-stabbing he experienced.
Soon after, Gurdeep lost interest in the Indian film industry. He stopped writing and taking pictures, but threw himself into painting seriously. In early 1970, Gurdeep sold everything, left India and arrived in the United States. In America, Gurdeep continued with his painting and exhibited around New York City
and in Bombay.
Gurdeep is a proud Sikh. He takes to heart the teachings of The Ten Gurus
and the Guru Granth Sahib
. He is also a father of two girls and three boys. He calls them his “panj piyare” (the first five Sikhs baptized by Guru Gobind Singh Ji
.) Gurdeep has exhibited his large multi-colored paintings in Mumbai, New York, and New Jersey. Gurdeep currently lives in the United States with his family and has been quite busy working in America and Europe.
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
artist and actor from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
who lives in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early life
Gurdeep Singh belongs to the famous Ahluwalia clan of Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. His paternal side of the family was wealthy land owners. His maternal grandfather was Commissioner of Police
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
in Lahore. During the Indian & Pakistan partition, his family was forced to flee in the middle of the night in the back of a truck. Gurdeep’s family had no choice but to leave all material possessions behind in Lahore.
After arriving in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, his parents settled in Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
, near the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
where Gurdeep was born, into a family with two older sisters and one older brother. His father had joined the Indian railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
as a carriage inspector. His father also fought alongside the British army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Burma. Being the son of a railway official, Gurdeep traveled a lot with the family. He never stayed in one place for more than two years. After his father’s retirement, his older brother brought the family to Bombay (present-day Mumbai). In 1960 at the age of 17, Gurdeep graduated from high school in Bombay.
Career
In his senior year of high school, Gurdeep had started his fascination with the Bombay film studios. Soon, he was writing about film stars for popular film magazines. He also started publishing short storiesShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
in major literary publications. His older brother was concerned about Gurdeep's exposure to the film industry at such a young age. To give him solid grounding, his brother put him in the prestigious Sir J. J. School of Arts. During his Sir J .J. school days, Gurdeep started furthering his name by establishing himself as a photojournalist, and was published in major publications in India. During his college days, he also received the impressive invitation to read his short stories on All-India Radio, Bombay. He graduated in 1967 with a degree in Applied Arts
Applied art
Applied art is the application of design and aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use. Whereas fine arts serve as intellectual stimulation to the viewer or academic sensibilities, the applied arts incorporate design and creative ideals to objects of utility, such as a cup, magazine or...
and a diploma in Fine Arts.
Gurdeep’s big movie break came in 1969 when he was cast as a leading man
Leading man
Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star...
playing a Sikh in full beard and turban. This was historic for the Indian film industry
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
. In this award-winning film, Uski Roti, Gurdeep won rave reviews in the media as he played a tough hard-drinking bus driver
Bus driver
A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses professionally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach drivers, is...
, who had a wife in the village and a mistress in the city. However, despite critical acclaim, it was not a good work experience for Gurdeep because of the double-talk and back-stabbing he experienced.
Soon after, Gurdeep lost interest in the Indian film industry. He stopped writing and taking pictures, but threw himself into painting seriously. In early 1970, Gurdeep sold everything, left India and arrived in the United States. In America, Gurdeep continued with his painting and exhibited around New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and in Bombay.
Personal life
Around this time Gurdeep’s personal life was also changing. His oldest daughter was born. To support his family, he took on many odd jobs – working during the day and painting at night. His family was growing. In spite of all this, he made sure he returned to India to see his aging parents every year. In 2002, an acquaintance recommended Gurdeep for a small TV role and this was Gurdeep’s re-entry into the film business.Gurdeep is a proud Sikh. He takes to heart the teachings of The Ten Gurus
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
and the Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Granth Sahib
Sri Guru Granth Sahib , or Adi Granth, is the religious text of Sikhism. It is the final and eternal guru of the Sikhs. It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708...
. He is also a father of two girls and three boys. He calls them his “panj piyare” (the first five Sikhs baptized by Guru Gobind Singh Ji
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
.) Gurdeep has exhibited his large multi-colored paintings in Mumbai, New York, and New Jersey. Gurdeep currently lives in the United States with his family and has been quite busy working in America and Europe.
Filmography
Actor: SAG Member-- Uski Roti (1970) .... Sucha Singh (aka Our Daily BreadOur Daily BreadOur Daily Bread is a devotional calendar-style booklet published by RBC Ministries in nearly 30 languages. The booklet is one of the most widely read Christian devotionals in circulation today. The booklet was first published in April 1956, and includes writing about the Bible and insights into...
- International: English title) - The Sopranos .... Prabhat (1 episode, 2002) (The Strong, Silent Type (2002) TV episode .... Prabhat)
- Murder in Mind .... Ricky Patel (1 episode, 2003) (Cornershop (2003) TV episode .... Ricky Patel)
- EdEd (TV series)Ed is an NBC television program co-produced by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated, NBC Productions, and Viacom Productions that aired from 2000 to 2004....
.... Tajinder (1 episode, "Happily Ever After", 2004) - Starved .... Sanji (1 episode, "Pilot", 2005)
- The DepartedThe DepartedThe Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
(2006) .... Indian Proprietor - The House Is Burning (2006) .... Taxi Driver (aka The House Is Burning - USA)
- Ultra (2006) (TV) .... Newsstand Vendor
- Love Comes LatelyLove Comes LatelyLove Comes Lately is a 2007 film written for the screen and directed by Jan Schütte. The film is based on the short stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer.-Plot:...
(2007) .... Hotel Manager/Porter (aka Bis später, Max! - Germany: festival title) - The Darjeeling LimitedThe Darjeeling LimitedThe Darjeeling Limited is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson, and starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. It was written by Anderson, Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola...
(2007) .... Chief Steward - Bengal Lancer - Never Forever (2007) .... Taxi Driver #2
- Joshua (2007) .... Cabbie (aka Joshua: The Devil's Child - Australia)
- After Life (2009) (post-production) (uncredited) .... Cashier
- Falling Awake (2009/II) (completed) .... Pakistani Man
- New York, I Love You (2009) (completed) .... Badal (Transitions) (aka New York, je t'aime - France: literal title)
- 1313 (film)13 is an English-language remake of the 2005 French film 13 Tzameti. The film is directed and written by Géla Babluani, who directed and wrote the original film. A trailer was released in August 2010.-Plot:...
(2010) (post-productionPost-productionPost-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
) .... Money Man
Education
- Sir J .J. Institute of Applied Arts, Bombay, IndiaMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, B.A. in Commercial Arts, 1967 - N.Y. Institute of Photography, NY, New York, Diploma in Creative Film Production, 1973
- Sir J .J. School of Arts, Bombay, India, Diploma in Fine ArtsFine artFine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
, 1967
Training
- Bombay Film Studios, Bombay, Film Production
- Grant International Advertising, Bombay, India, Design