Imtiaz Ali Reveals How He Convinced Diljit Dosanjh To Make Another Movie On Amar Singh Chamkila

Diljit Dosanjh headlines the musical biopic of Amar Singh Chamkila directed by Imtiaz Ali. The film has received an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and audiences alike. Days after the release, the filmmaker shared that Diljit knew everything about the slain Punjabi artist before stepping in his shoes for the role. 

Imtiaz Ali says Diljit Dosanjh had already made a movie on Chamkila’s life before 

Imtiaz Ali has always been a complimenter of Diljit Dosanjh’s work. Speaking to IMDb, the Jab We Met hitmaker revealed that when he first approached the Punjabi singer to portray the role of Chamkila, he assumed he would know a little something about the slain artist but was shocked at his extensive knowledge on the subject. He said, “When I spoke to him, I assumed that since he is a musician, he would have heard about Chamkila from his childhood, especially being from the same area as Chamkila. So he knew everything about Chamkila. When I spoke to him for the first time, I found out that he had already made a film loosely inspired by Chamkila’s life events.” 

Despite Diljit's extensive knowledge, the filmmaker stated that he had ‘specific’ knowledge on the matter. He mentioned that he conducted thorough research on the life of Chamkila and spoke to people who knew him and Amarjot. He also recalled meeting Tikki, the dholak player and good friend of Chamkila, who the director stated, “was a mercurial character who greatly influenced Chamkila.”

Imtiaz Ali details his research process for Amar Singh Chamkila 

In the same conversation, Imtiaz Ali stated that he met Tikki several times during his research. He added, “I met Tikki several times. He became emotional and shared things with me that he later regretted or corrected. This was because I met him on multiple occasions. He even mentioned that he had cursed Chamkila to die.” He recalled visiting people who Chamkila grew up with and places he spent his childhood in. 

Imitaz concluded by saying, “As my interest grew, I met more people in Punjab. It’s interesting because Chamkila had a knack for entertaining the masses, and understanding what works with the masses is a quality all artists and filmmakers would love to possess.” Amar Singh Chamkila documents the life of the eponymous Punjabi artist who rose to fame in Punjab in the 1980s for his high-beats songs laced with lewd lyrics that highlighted societal conditions of the time. Chamkila, along with his wife and singing partner Amarjot, met his unfortunate end when unidentified gunmen shot them dead. The film is available to stream on Netlfix.