The list of Punjabi actors includes former noted actors like Sunil Dutt, Dara Singh, Amrish Puri and Balraj Sahni along with the contemporary actors like Raj Babbar, Jimmy Shergill, Vivaan Arora, Gippy Grewal, Diljit Dosanjh, Jassi Gill, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Samuel John, Karan Kundra, Ranjeet, Gurdas Maan, Sudesh Lehri, Mukesh Tiwari etc. Apart from them, there are several other Punjabi actors, who are also associated with Hindi cinema.
Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt was a noted Indian film actor, producer, director and politician, whose repertoire in Punjabi Cinema includes religious films of the 70s: "Man Jeete Jag Jeet" (1973), "Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam" (1974) and "Sat Sri Akal" (1977). Some of his Hindi cinemas, in which he acted, are "Padosan", "Mother India", "Mera Saaya" and others.
Dara Singh
Film veteran Dara Singh was an actor and professional wrestler, who acted in Punjabi movies like "Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar" (1970), "Mele Mitran De" (1972), "Lambhardarni" (1976) and "Babul Da Vehra" (1983).
Amrish Puri
Amrish Puri was a legendary actor who is widely regarded as the greatest villain actor of Hindi Cinema who also acted in several regional movies, including Punjabi films.
Balraj Sahni
Balraj Sahni was a noted Indian film and stage actor, who starred in the classic Punjabi film "Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar" as well as the critically acclaimed "Satluj De Kande". He also worked in several Hindi movies like "Pardei", "Do Roti", "Lajwanti", "Chhoti Bahen" and others.
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
The other film veteran of Punjabi Cinema is Kulbhushan Kharbanda. He was featured in Punjabi films like "Ucha Dar Babe Nank Da" (1982), "Saadi Love Story" (2013) and "Kirpaan - The Sword of Honour" (2014).
Ranjeet
Ranjeet, another noted negative character actor, who has played mostly character roles in a number of Punjabi films such as "Rab Ne Banayian Jodiyan" and "Man Jeete Jag Jeet".
Raj Babbar
Actor Raj Babbar"s Punjabi movies include "Chann Pardesi" (1980), "Aasra Pyar Da" (1983) and "Long Da Lishkara" (1986).
Madan Puri
Madan Puri, brother of Amrish Puri, was a veteran actor. He was associated with both Hindi and Punjabi films. He mainly acted in negative roles. In his 50 years of career span, he worked in about 430 films.
Contemporary Punjabi Actors
There are numerous contemporary Punjabi actors, who are associated with both Punjabi and Hindi films like Jimmy Shergil, Diljit Dosanjh, Aarya Babbar, Kanwaljit Singh and others. Some of them have been detailed below:
Jimmy Shergill
He started acting in Punjabi films in 2005 with "Yaaran Naal Baharan" and has featured in films like "Mannat" (2006), "Mel Karade Rabba" (2010), "Dharti" (2011), "Aa Gaye Munde U.K. De" (2014) and "Vaisakhi List" (2016) and many others.
Gippy Grewal
Gippy Grewal is another popular actor who has acted in successful films like "Carry On Jatta" (2012), "Singh vs Kaur" (2013), "Best of Luck" (2013), "Jatt James Bond" (2014) and "Kaptaan" (2016).
Diljit Dosanjh
Diljit Dosanjh has acted in many noticeable Punjabi hits, such as "Jatt & Juliet" (2012), "Jatt & Juliet 2" (2013), "Sardaar Ji" (2015), "Ambarsariya" and "Sardaar Ji 2" (2016). He has also acted in different Hindi films like "Udta Punjab", "Phillauri", "Soorma" and others.
Other Contemporary Punjabi Actors
Actor and theatre activist Samuel John played the protagonist in National Award-winning Punjabi film "Anhe Ghore Da Daan" (2011). Notable singer and songwriter Gurdas Maan has acted in films like "Long Da Lishkara" (1986), "Shaheed-E-Mohabbat" (1998), "Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar" (2014). Some other popular Punjabi actors are Vivaan Arora, Raj Babbar, Mukesh Rishi, Jassi Gill, Dakssh Ajit Singh, Garry Sandhu, Gopal Bedi, Om Puri, Jackie Shroff, Arun Bakshi etc.
