Punjabi writer-actor-director Sukhjinder Shera dies in Uganda

Punjabi writer-actor-director Sukhjinder Shera died in Uganda on 5 May. According to news reports, the actor was in the country to meet a friend when he fell ill and had to be hospitalized. He later contracted acute pneumonia and succumbed to his illness. Shera began his acting career in the Punjabi film industry in the 1980s and became the first turbaned actor to appear on screen as a leading man.

Interested in the arts from a young age, Shera was a writer who aspired to become a movie actor. A meeting with Dharmendra’s cousin, the Punjabi actor-director Veerendra, enabled him to fulfil his ambition when he got the chance to act in Yaari Jatt Di (1987) and also wrote the dialogues for it. The film completed its silver jubilee and was a huge success. The character’s name in the film was ‘Shera’, which forever became associated with Sukhjinder.

This was followed by another big success, Jatt Te Zameen (1989), which was written by Shera who acted alongside Veerendra once again. However, Punjab was in turmoil in the late 1980s and Veerendra became a casualty in the violence that wreaked havoc in the state. Having lost his friend and collaborator, Shera teamed up with Guggu Gill and Yograj Singh to make Jorr Jatt Daa (1991), which was written and directed by him as well. The film was a success at the box office. 

Pagadi Sambhaal Jatta (1992), Ucha Pind (1994) starring Raj Babbar, and Sir Dhad Di Baazi (1995) were some of his releases in the 1990s; followed by Deh Shiva Bar Mohe (2002), Jagira (2007), Moh Punjab Da (2007); and the recent Jatt in Mood (2013), The Mastermind: Jinda Sukha (2015) and Yaar Beli (2018).

Known for his rustic acting style, Shera largely concentrated on making issue-based films. 

According to an interview on the website ghaintpunjab.com, Shera had been planning to make a sequel to Jatt Te Zameen.