Puneet Sira

Early career

Sira started his career as an actor in the UK at the age of nine where he worked with Rosemary Leach and Ben Kingsley as a beggar boy in Annie Besant, The Warrior's Return(1977) as part of The Velvet Glove series for the BBC, directed by Philip Saville. Puneet went on to star alongside Christopher Lee, Mickey Rooney, Oliver Tobias, Emma Samms and Peter Cushing in the feature film Arabian Adventure (1979). He played the lead role of Majeed, directed by Kevin Connor. In the same year Puneet played Kasava Minor in the BBC series To Serve Them All My Days (1979).

In 1979 Sira was the youngest member to participate in Comex10, a commonwealth expedition sponsored by the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Founded by Lieutenant Colonel Lionel Gregory, OBE, Comex 10 was an expedition where 40 artistes from all commonwealth countries toured India performing variety acts in every city visited.

More acting work followed from How We Used to Live (Yorkshire Television), Why Couples Break Up (Yorkshire Television), London's Burning (London Weekend Television), The Moneymen (London Weekend Television), The Park (Regent Productions), The Betrothed (LIFS) and the highly acclaimed Walkers Poppadoms Commercial, The Rocking Sikh directed by Paul Weiland.

Film-making career

A vast body of work is credited to Sira during his tenure as an assistant director at the BBC Drama Films Department. Sira became an assistant director on films such as Hallelujah Anyhow (1991) (Screen Two) starring Keith David, Sweet Nothing (1990) (Screen One) and Can You Hear Me Thinking? (1991) starring Judi Dench. He freelanced on Flying Colors (1993), Memsahib Rita (1994), Blue Baby (1994) before venturing into directing his own films like Strings (1996) which he also wrote and produced.

Sira was the director of the London Academy of Acting (a school founded by his father, Gurdial Sira in 1970), where he would teach acting for film. He set up an actors' agency, Talent Introduction Centre (T.I.C.), where he provided work for Asian actors in the UK.

Casting director was another title to Sira's credit: films such as Jinnah (1998) starring Christoper Lee, Flight (1992) (BBC Screen One), directed by Alex Pillai, Immaculate Conception (1992) directed by Jamil Dehlavi, Memsahib Rita (1994) and Frantz Fanon – Black Skin, White Mask (1996) directed by Isaac Julien. On the American feature film Passion in the Desert (1997) Sira worked on production.

Sira lectured on basic film making at Middlesex University and Italia Conti Acting Academy as a visiting lecturer.

In 1998, Sira became the executive producer for Rupert Murdoch's Channel V, (STAR TV), producing more than 22 television shows for the channel in Mumbai. He went on to produce and direct drama for television The Steal (2000) STAR TV, followed by Sanatta (2001) and Jataka Tales (2002) for Japanese television which Sira directed and produced with his partner Vikram Dhillon. Sira went on to direct the feature films I - Proud To Be An Indian (2004), Jai Veeru (2009) and Kisaan (2009).

As a screenwriter Sira wrote I - Proud To Be An Indian with Vekeana Dhillon. Together they have written the screenplay for the feature film Kurbani for Feroz Khan (FK International) and Spiceboy for Miracle Films. Sira had written The Steal and Sanatta.

Sira and Vikram Dhillon are partners in Eyeline Entertainment, a production company which has several feature films in development and pre-production with Ji Karda under production and The Great Punjabi Luv Shuv Story a web series for Ekta Kapoor's digital channel AltBalaji.

Personal life

Sira married Vekeana Dhillon in 2010, an accomplished screen writer and actress. Vekeana wrote Sira's I - Proud To Be An Indian, Jai Veeru and Kisaan.

Sira has two children Shaan Sira and Simran Sira.

He is the son of actor Mr. Gurdial Sira (1940–2013) and Asha SIra

Awards

SAFF Awards: