Chamkila Director Imtiaz Ali Says No One Could Have Played The Role Of the Singer Better Than Diljit

Chamkila is an upcoming series that will premiere on Netflix on April 12. The show stars Diljit Dosanjh in the lead role with Parineeti Chopra. Ahead of the release, director Imtiaz Ali shed light on how the lead actors prepared for the role.

Imtiaz Ali says all songs in Chamkila were recorded live 

Imtiaz Ali attended the FICCI Frames 2024 event in Mumbai on March 6. The director praised lead actors Dosanjh and Chopra for their unwavering commitment towards the film. "Nobody else could have played Chamkila (but Diljit),” he said. 

In the film, he is singing live on those 'akhadas', exactly like how Chamkila would sing. Everything you hear, like Diljit and Parineeti singing, in the film is actually sung live on location. Nothing has been added later. They both sang. This wouldn’t have been possible without Diljit and Parineeti. Parineeti trained a lot,” Ali said.

Imtiaz Ali says he was motivated to show the psyche of artist facing a consequence of fame 

The filmmaker, best known for dramas like Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal, Tamasha, and Rockstar, said he was motivated to examine the psyche of an artist facing the consequences of fame.

"In the life of an artist, apart from the obvious (fame), there’s also poignance, happiness and joy. I wanted to feel what happens when something is so much under attack and yet it is so popular. And what is that space from where an artist actually makes music,” Ali added. Amar Singh Chamkila is an exploration of what it is like to be popular and under attack at the same time, says filmmaker Imtiaz Ali in his upcoming biopic on the slain Punjabi singer. Known as the 'Elvis Presley of Punjab', Chamkila was assassinated in 1988 along with his singing companion Amarjot in 1988. Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh plays Chamkila while Parineeti Chopra is in the role of Amarjot.

(With inouts from PTI)