It is a love story, Singh noted, but with a grisly murder at its center.
Dear Jassiis inspired by the real-life honor killing of Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu in June 2000.
I could see it happening, he told me.
Yugam Sood and Pavia Sidhu in ‘Dear Jassi’Toronto Film Festival
You think shed order a hit on her own child?, I spluttered.
I could think of tons of women that this would happen with, he responded calmly.
Jaswinder came from a large family in Mini Punjab, as the region of Vancouver is described inDear Jassi.
Tarsem Singh filming ‘Dear Jassi’ (Photo courtesy of Dear Jassi)
The household consisted of several other girls of marriageable age.
Its all arranged-marriage stuff, so that if anything goes wrong, the whole household will fall apart.
If one goes astray, then all 10 might not get married.
I understood why she acted the way she did.
Her daughter now means nothing to us.
Do whatever you want.
Thats what the mother told the thugs over the telephone.
Singh suggested that for good people to do such bad things, theres usually cultural of religion underpinning.
She means well and shes doing something horrific.
you’ve got the option to do some horrendous shit.
Does any of that justify what this mother did?
Not at all, not even one percent, he said.
But you know what?
I come from that culture.
Soon after he begandirectingmusic videos including R.E.M.s Losing My Religion.
His first movie was 2000sThe Cellstarring Jennifer Lopez.
He self-financedThe Fall(2006) and followed that withImmortalsin 2011, thenMirror Mirrorthe next year.
Later he shot the short film911for Lady Gaga, which has been viewed 81 million times on YouTube.
Singhs family are Sikhs, but theyre not Sardars the people who have long hair.
Theyre Muslim, and theyll have exactly the same issue.
Singh told me that he heard about the sorrowful tale of Jaswinder when it happened 23 years ago.
Two decades later, he was asked if there was anything that he wanted to film in India.
These two people were stunning looking, Singh noted.
Casting the roles of Jassi and Mithu, her beloved, was the worst thing, said Singh.
So where are the 20-year-old girls?
Not a single one.
I have 24 hours to cast this person.
Do you know anybody?
He considered one girl, but her family had sympathy for Jassis murderous mother.
And that would be asking for trouble, Singh told me.
Finally, a call came in about an unknown who fit the brief.
He saw her on Instagram and made up his mind there and then to hire Pavia Sidhu.
She was there all the time, but they didnt show me the self-tape, he complained.
Yugam Sood had never acted before in his life, but Singh liked the look of him.
Hes actually a kabbadi player, so he knew the sport.
Another plus was that he didnt speak English.
I spent time with them both, going over the lines.
I had my innocents, I had myRomeo and Juliet, he told me.
Making his first film in India was a phenomenal experience, he said.
It was the most pleasantly phenomenal experience I could have had.
And the day we finished shooting, within 48 hours I locked the picture.
Again he showered praise on his producers.
They really provided the great web link, and they understand now how I work.
Linda Lichter at Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler Feldman & Clark Inc. in handling worldwide sales forDear Jassi.
