Netflix released the first trailer for director Ali Abbas Zafar’s upcoming drama film Jogi, which is set during the 1984 Delhi riots and stars Diljit Dosanjh in the title role. The film follows three friends as they fight for survival over three tumultuous days of violence.
The trailer begins with Jogi eating breakfast with his family, as if it were the calm before the storm. However, as gunshots ring out in their neighbourhood, which is soon overrun by violent mobs, the protagonist attempts to flee the city with his family and travel to Punjab, the safest place they can be.
We see shots of riot-ravaged streets, and the mass exodus of Sikhs trying to find safety. According to the trailer, the exodus was the “largest human heist” ever witnessed. The trailer also portrays Jogi as a sort of saviour figure.
The anti-Sikh riots of 1984 were sparked by the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards and resulted in the deaths of thousands of Sikhs across the country, but primarily in the capital. The riots were previously depicted on film in Punjab 1984, which also starred Diljit, and 31st October, which starred Vir Das.
After the controversial Amazon Prime Video series Tandav, starring Saif Ali Khan, this is Zafar’s second major streaming project. Jogi brings the filmmaker back together with Tandav actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub. Kumud Mishra, Hiten Tejwani, Amyra Dastur, and Paresh Pahuja also appear in the film. On September 16, Netflix will release Jogi.
Primarily a singer, Diljit’s most popular Hindi-language films are perhaps Udta Punjab and Good Newwz. He was last seen in the Punjabi language comedy Honsla Rakh.