Gurpreet Singh, better known by his stage name Ghuggi, is an Indian comedian, actor and politician. Ghuggi is a household name in Punjab and is known for entertaining the audience with his funny performances. Throughout his career, he has played many comedic roles in films and television serials. The actor and comedian briefly ventured into politics and served as the party convener of the Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party from September 2016 to 2017.
Wiki/Biography
Gurpreet Ghuggi was born on Monday, July 19, 1971 (49 years old in 2020) in the village of Khokhar Faujian in Gurdaspur, Punjab. His full name is Gurpreet Singh Wariach.
Gurpreet Ghuggi in his childhood
Gujraj’s family moved to Jalandhar when he was a child. He attended a local school in Jalandhar.
Gurpreet Ghuggi (face circled)’s school photo
Gurpreet developed an interest in acting during his childhood. Growing up in Jalandhar, he had a tough time as a teenager when his family business hit a financial crisis. The reality of the situation at the time forced Gurpreet to look for a job while continuing his formal education and performing in theatre. After completing Class 10, Gurpreet started working as a daily wage clerk outside Tehsil Kartarpur Sahib, earning Rs 5-10 a day. At the end of the day, he would give all the money he earned to his father. After get off work, he used to walk 5 km to Apeejay Academy of Fine Arts in Jalandhar, where he would attend drama classes and return home around 8 pm. His day did not end there. After dinner, he would go out for rehearsals with his colleagues from the Rehnuma Theatre Group and return home around 1 am. This busy schedule continued until he completed his studies. After completing Class 12, Gurpreet realized that if he wanted to succeed in the field of acting, then he would have to change the track he was on and focus his full attention on acting. Considering the financial situation of his family, Gurpreet had to make a tough choice between helping his family out of the financial crisis or pursuing his acting ambitions by enrolling in a college. After careful consideration, Gurpreet enrolled in Doaba Educational College (affiliated to Guru Nanak Dev University), Jalandhar, to pursue his Bachelor of Arts degree. Considering his financial situation and acting talent, the college administration granted him 100% tuition waiver upon admission (the entire tuition fee was paid by the college itself). In his first year of college, he was awarded the title of “Best Actor” at the Guru Nanak Dev Youth Festival, 1991. In the same year, 1991, his performance helped GNDU bag the trophy for “Best Drama School” at the All India University Youth Festival, 1991, held at Madurai Kamraj University (Tamil Nadu). He turned the Youth Festival into a platform for people to recognize his talent. He created opportunities for himself, working in different places like radio shows, television shows, and rose through the ranks to carve out an identity for himself in the Punjabi entertainment industry.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 8″
Eye color: Black
Family and caste
Gurpreet Singh is married to Kuljeet Kaur. She was one of the people who encouraged Ghuggi to join politics. They have two children, son Sukhan and daughter Ramneek.
Gurpreet Ghuggi and his son Sukhan Wariach
Ghuggi and his wife participated in the comedy show Hans Baliye in 2009. The couple eventually won the competition.
Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi and his wife attend a party hosted by the production team of Hans Baliye
Profession
In the entertainment industry
He started his acting career in the early 1990s by acting in dramas. During that time, all the roles he played were quite serious ones. This is an episode of Ghuggi’s first TV series, Champion, which was aired on DD Punjabi.
He turned into a comedian after meeting Balwinder Vicky, popularly known as Chacha Raunki Ram or Raunki Ram, a popular Punjabi comedian in the 1990s. Ghuggi considers him a mentor in the comedy world. This is a live stage performance of Ghuggi with his mentor, comedian Balwinder Vicky, at the Miss Punjab 1996 on January 27, 1996.
In the early days of his career, Ghuggi acted in many television soaps. His performances in shows like Ghuggi Khol Pitari, Ghuggi Yaar Gupp Na Maar, Ghuggi De Barati, Daldal, Naseehat, Udeek, Lori and Rishtey were appreciated by the audience. His first Punjabi film was Jee Aayan Nu (2004), a Punjabi romantic drama starring Harbhajan Mann. He played the role of a travel agent in the film.
Poster of Jee Aayan Nu
Since then, he has acted in many Punjabi comedy films including Ghuggi Chhoo Mantar (2004), in which Ghuggi played the role of a thug who cheats people in a witty style. Below is a clip from the film.
Apart from acting in Punjabi films, Gujrat has also participated in many television talk shows. He gained great recognition among the Indian audience after his appearance on the Indian reality talk show series, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, aired on Star One.
Known for playing supporting roles, Gujrat has also played lead roles in several Punjabi films. His performance as the serious protagonist Gurmukh Singh in Ardas (2015) was well received.
Besides starring in Punjabi films, Gujrat has also acted in many Bollywood films such as Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006), Namastey London (2007), Race (2008), etc. He played the role of politician Manjeet in the 2008 Indian action-comedy film Singh Is Kingng, which starred Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif.
As a politician
Leveraging on his popularity as an artiste, Gurpreet Singh entered politics on February 10, 2016 by joining the Awami Party.
Gurpreet Ghuggi speaking at the Punjab Inqilab rally in Balachor on December 10, 2016
On September 4, 2016, he was appointed as the party convener, replacing Sucha Singh Chhotepur who was alleged to have accepted bribes in exchange for votes.
On September 4, 2016, Gujji attended a political rally in Amritsar after becoming the convener of the Punjab branch of the Aam Aadmi Party
On May 10, 2017, two days after being replaced by Bhagwant Mann as the convener of AAP Punjab chapter, he resigned from the post of principal member of Aam Aadmi Party. After resigning from the post of principal member of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Gurpreet Singh Wariach said,
I can’t work under someone whose job is to not drink.”
Favorite things
Bollywood films: Wednesday (2008), Paan Singh Tomar (2012), PK (2014) and Baby (2015)
Food: Sarso ka saag and makke ki roti with homemade butter
Pilgrimage site: Golden Temple in Amritsar
Comedian: BN Sharma
Facts/Trivia
- Ghuggi is the stage name of Gurpreet, whose real name is Gurpreet Singh Wariach, and was given to him by Balwinder Vicky, a famous comedian in the 90s. In the following years, the name became a hit among the audience, and thereafter, everyone, including Gurpreet himself, started calling him Ghuggi.
- Ghuggi is a teetotaler (a person who does not drink alcohol). He has also stopped eating non-vegetarian food since 2005. Gurpreet Ghuggi gave up eating non-vegetarian food in 2005 due to some health issues.
- Gurpreet Ghuggi loves long drives. Whenever he needs a break, he goes on a road trip with friends and family.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education