From 7 to 80 films a year, Rs 6 crore to Rs 30 crore productions: Sargun Mehta reveals the massive ‘boom’ in the Punjabi film industry | Regional News
3 min readNew DelhiFeb 22, 2026 11:03 AM IST
Over the past decade, the Punjabi film industry has witnessed rapid growth in terms of output, budgets, and box-office performance. Punjabi cinema gained significant national attention after Gippy Grewal’s 2012 release Carry On Jatta became the first Punjabi film to cross the Rs 100 crore mark. In a recent interview, Sargun Mehta, who has established herself as a prominent actor and producer in Punjabi cinema, spoke about the industry’s rise. She also cited the successes of Diljit Dosanjh and Grewal, expressing her pride and happiness at their achievements.
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During a conversation with Galatta Plus, Sargun recalled, “My first Punjabi film was released in August 2015 and it was a blockbuster. Then there was no turning back and I loved it.”
The Qismat actor further added, “At that time, for another 2-3 years, the industry was making only 7-10 films a year. People would be like, ‘Why are you doing such less films?’ And then, the industry started to boom so much, that now we are making some 70-80 films a year, with budgets ranging from Rs 6-7 crore to Rs 25-30 crore. The box office is booming, everything is doing really well. The Punjab film industry is in a space of finding itself.”
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Sargun Mehta also said that it was time for someone in the Punjabi film industry to step up and embrace calculated risks rather than merely relying on tried-and-tested formulas. “It (Punjabi film industry) found out formulas that worked really well and peaked, so everyone went towards formula. The risk taking abilities of the audience and the producers is really less. We have gotten into a formula mode, but I tell Ravi (husband Ravi Dubey) that maybe we should be the risk takers,” she said.
Sargun cited the successes of Diljit Dosanjh and Gippy Grewal, expressing her pride and happiness at their achievements. The actor said, “When Diljit makes a breakthrough success, it is not his solo success. I celebrate it because the Punjabi industry is suddenly being seen in a certain light. All eyeballs on us again, this is great. It’s not great only for him. Because he is so big, the pressure comes on the entire industry to perform. He has taken us all five steps ahead.”
She continued, “When Gippy made the first Rs 100 crore with Carry On Jatta, we all were like ‘We have done it.’ I wasn’t in the film but I think I was more excited about it than him. I kept calling him to ask if they had reached the point (Rs 100 crore mark). It was like, once that barrier is crossed, we can keep crossing it.”
