Raj Singh Jhinger

Biography

Indian film actor, Raj Singh Jhinger born As Rajvinder Singh in a small village, Nainewala in District Barnala of Punjab. Raj's father was a farmer and his mother, a housewife. Raj is the fourth of five siblings. He has 3 older sisters and a younger brother. Raj was only 8 years old, when he decided that when he grows up, he wants to be an actor, but he never shared this dream with anyone. Being from a small village, he knew that no one around him would understand his far-fetched dreams. Raj moved to Hong Kong with his mother in 1996 where he continued his schooling. Due to family's financial struggles, he had to quit his studies and to make ends meet, he started working at a factory. Even while working, Raj could only fantasize about a career in acting. He would often confide in his mother about his acting ambitions. His mother was always very supportive and encouraging but his father was always against it, he didn't want Raj to quit his well-paid job to go work in films. By now, Raj had quit his job at the factory and was working as a chef. During this time, while working, he was also quietly preparing himself for a film career. He would watch films from all around the world and secretly act out scenes in the bathroom mirror. While living in Hong Kong, he got introduced to Asian cinema which had a huge influence on him, it also inspired him to train in Chinese mixed martial arts. Raj competed in several tournaments and was awarded Black Belt. Raj Jhinger would often share his acting aspirations with his brother, Baljinder Singh and close friend, Mohammad Ali. They both would encourage him and advised him to move forward and work towards his dreams. Seeing how passionate Raj was about a career in acting, his brother once told him, "40-50 years from now, one day when you will be sitting alone, you will look back and regret not pursuing your dreams. Its better to try and fail than not try at all." Raj made his decision and flew back home to his village. In February 2007, against his father's wishes, he packed his bags and left for Mumbai to follow his dreams. At Mumbai's "Madhumati Acting Academy", he started training as an actor. To support himself financially, he was also modeling. Although he got an opportunity to model for many famous brands, his first love was films. Raj received and turned down several offers to act in daily soap operas and the struggle for that first film role continued. Finally, Raj got signed to play a negative character in a South Indian film, that unfortunately never saw light of the day. After 5 years of struggle in Mumbai, in 2012, Raj Jhinger was introduced to director Rajiv Sharma by his filmmaker friend, Jatinder Mahaur. Sharma signed Jhinger for his film "Naabar" which was not a huge box office success but was critically acclaimed and received the prestigious National Award. "Naabar" went on to win 2013 Excellence Award at Punjabi International Film Festival in Toronto and was also screened at many national and international film festivals. The same year, director Jatinder Mahaur cast Raj Jhinger in a role that would change the course of his career, the film was called "Sirsa" (that was eventually released as "Sikander"). Raj played a character named "Laala" in parallel lead. The film and his performance were widely appreciated and Raj Jhinger received accolades from his fans and critics. Being a new face in the Punjabi film industry, fans might have been unfamiliar with his real name, but they started referring to Raj as "Laala". His famous lines "Sade Ala" soon became part of his identity. Everywhere he went, fans started addressing him as "Sade Ala". Between 2012 to 2014, Raj Jhinger worked in 4 films, that included "Pooja Kivein Aa" and "Dil Vil Pyar Vyar" with legendary actor and singer Gurdas Maan. His father's sudden passing was a major personal setback and Raj had to spend some time away from the industry for a couple of years. He made a comeback with renowned singer and actor Sharry Maan's music videos "Vadda Bai" and "Carom board". Both these songs and music videos were hugely successful. During this time, he also started writing scripts and worked as a scriptwriter for a few films. In 2017, he was offered a role in the film "Harjeeta" starring famous Punjabi singer and actor, Ammy Virk. The film was directed by Vijay Kumar Arora. Raj's performance in the film was applauded and appreciated by both fans and critics alike. Harjeeta went on to win two National Awards. Raj Jhinger considers himself very selective when it comes to his roles, his pursuit to portray challenging roles on the big screen continues. As an actor, he is currently working on films with renowned filmmakers. Stories and screenplays written by him will also be part of future projects