By Jagdeesh Mann
Mata Press Service
 
Cows, curry and chaos are what one expects to find when walking down the maddening streets of Jalandhar, Punjab – not comedians.
And definitely not someone who could audition for and win Canada’s Next Top Comic – were there such a show, and were he even Canadian.
Each week, Gurpreet Ghuggi – the last name rhymes with boogie - keeps ten of thousands of Canadians in stitches through his Punjabi language movies and regular appearances on Canadian ethnic channel productions.
There is an earthy self-deprecating quality to Punjabi humour much as in Canadian comedy – Ghuggi’s style is a cross between the buffoonery of Jim Carrey, and the under-doggedness of John Candy, with a little dash of Mr. Bean thrown in for spice.
With his demand for appearances in overseas productions rising, Ghuggi is becoming Punjab’s Jackie Chan. His cross-seas appeal has gone cross-over – take his latest Hollywood production, Breakaway, which opens across Canada this week.
The Canadian production also features Rob Lowe, Camilla Belle and Russell Peters.
“The world is becoming a smaller place,” said the comic, speaking from the Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver this past weekend. “Although my primary work is not in English, there are more English-language and Canadian productions overseas that are targeting global-based audiences.”
Breakaway is a movie about a young Canadian man from a Sikh family who dreams of playing hockey. His father, the over-bearing and ever-toiling immigrant, forbids his son from lacing up his skates – an activity he considers indolent and fruitless.
Ghuggi, plays the lead character’s successful uncle, who eventually becomes the voice of reason helping the father and son find a common ground between their two cultural perspectives.
”There is a growing generation gap that is a big problem for youth in South Asian families here in Canada,” explained Ghuggi. “I try taking roles where my comedy can help bridge this gap, so both sides can see one another’s point of view.”
For Ghuggi, comedy is a universal language – hence the reason why Canadian comics like Jim Carrey and Russell Peters have a big following in India, but also why he is so popular in Canada, not just with first generation immigrants but also newer generations South Asians, as demonstrated recently in a YouTube collaboration with 2nd generation Canadian comedian Jus Reign that went viral.
”Canada for me is really a home away from home,” he finished. “India is where I live for now, but this country seems to keep growing on me.”