Simratt Kaur Randhawa says she learnt the craft of acting from Sunny Deol on the sets of 'Gadar 2'

Sunny Deol and Simratt Kaur Randhawa

As a child, Simratt Kaur Randhawa was among the many who had witnessed the filming of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) in Amritsar. Over 22 years on, she finds herself a part of its sequel Gadar 2: The Katha Continues, starring alongside Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma. "During the Gadar shoot, there was a huge crowd gathered to watch Sunny sir and Ameesha-ji. My mom told me that she watched the shoot while holding me in her arms. I joke that the makers were waiting for me to grow up to make Gadar 2," laughs Kaur.

The actor, who has previously starred in Telugu and Tamil movies, is foraying into Bollywood with the Anil Sharma-directed action drama in which she plays the love interest of Utkarsh's character. Grateful for the director's faith in her, Kaur prepped extensively to play a character living in 1970s India. But she reveals that no prep came close to the learning she imbibed while working with Deol. "While shooting an emotional scene, I wasn't able to give a perfect [take]. He told me, ‘If you try to act, [your effort] will be visible on screen. Switch off for a few minutes, feel the emotion and then you won't need to act.' That advice will always stay with me," she smiles.