OUTSOURCED has become a popular show not only among Indian but also with the American audience. To us, it reminds us of India and in our heart we feel, wish we were in India too.
You must have seen him. His name is Gurpreet Singh. We call him Guru Singh. We all get curious and proud to see a Sikh on a National Television who is easily recognized by the Turban. For us it is also personal. He is my Bhanja (brother's son.) Because of the age difference, I did not grow close with my siblings, but I fondly remember my brother's wedding, and how my father and I organized our family photo albums. Guru and his elder sister Manpreet Kaur use to visit us in Solan during their vacations. Guru was too young during that time.
Because of our busy life in this country our conversation has been usually family. I had heard about his acting talent but we did not talk much about it before. Guru said: "I don't think there was a moment in time when I realized I was interested in acting and directing; it was always something that I was drawn to. I grew up watching movies I would always analyze and think about what I was watching and what was going on. My interest in movies and music as a child led me to get involved with the arts when I was in high school. I first tried out acting while in high school where I took classes in theater and acted in productions. Also, I was very involved with music so it was at school where I knew that I wanted to do this forever."
Guru Singh on the sets of Outsourced
I have always been curious why so few Sikhs are portrayed on National Television? Guru Singh says: "As in any other industry, Sikhs have and do face obstacles in the entertainment industry as well, but that doesn't mean they cannot be overcome. Another problem facing Sikhs is the lack of familiarity amongst Americans about Sikhism and the Sikh people. That means there is a lot of unfamiliarity and hesitation to create acting roles for Sikhs. There are not enough writers, directors, or producers that are Sikhs or who know about Sikhs and it is up to everyone to change that. It is up to us to go into every different profession in the entertainment industry to familiarize America with the Sikh people."
In these times we sure need to encourage it so that our children do not feel left out or ignored. It sure is a powerful media and we need to collectively support it.
~ Aasra Punjabi English Magazine
