Imtiaz Ali Regarding Amar Singh Chamkila: Diljit’s Involvement Was What Helped Me Define The Film Treatment | EXCLUSIVE

Amar Singh Chamkila has returned with Imtiaz Ali. On Friday, April 12, the movie is finally released. The film, which features Parineeti Chopra and Diljit Dosanjh in the key parts, is based on the actual tale of Punjab’s original music phenomenon, who used his strong music to rise from poverty to popularity in the 1980s. Many were incensed by his growing fame, which resulted in his sad killing at the age of 27. Director Imtiaz Ali spoke briefly about his most recent film and his experience working with such an incredible crew in an exclusive interview with Zoom.
Takeaways from the conversation:

 

First of all, congrats on the compelling, sharp, humorous, and eventually heartbreaking biography of Amar Singh Chamkila. It’s our second favorite song on your repertory, after Jab We Met. Regarding your own repertoire, how would you rank Chamkila?
That’s great to hear, many thanks for that. It is just impossible for me to grade my own film, particularly so soon after it has been completed.
When and how did you get the idea to write a biographical film on this controversial Punjabi (spelled Panjab in your film) singer? How much research did you do before you started filming?

 

The head of production for a number of my movies, including Tamasha and Jab We Met, Rajesh Sharma, used to suggest that I write a movie based on Chamkila’s life. During the years that I have been traveling and filming in Punjab and the surrounding areas, I have been collecting snippets of the life legend of Chamkila. Then, just before COVID struck, a movie buff named Harpreet traveled from Punjab to Mumbai with the difficult-to-get film rights of Chamkila and asked if I would be interested in producing the movie. The film-making process started when I went to a remote area of Punjab during COVID-19

 

. The majority of the research for this movie was meeting and speaking with individuals who had a direct impact on Chamkila and Amarjot’s life. I had the opportunity to meet everyone in person, including family, friends, Dhakkan the old announcer, Kikar the manager, friend and lyricist Swaran Singh Silvia, and other more who attended his concerts and got to know him. Tiki was the old buddy and Dholak Wala. I could identify to the Chamkila narrative, as could many others who had just recently moved to Punjab during those years.

Was Diljit Dosanjh the only person you considered? I mean, he seems like a fairly clear pick. Sikh, vocalist, etc.

The first person I thought of for the role of Diljit was, but I wasn’t sure whether he could really make the movie. I finally went up to him after some time, and he was immediately at ease. I can see now how important he was to the making of the movie. More than anything else, he knows every subtlety of Chamkila’s behavior since he is a smalltown Punjabi from the same area as Chamkila and speaks the same dialect. He has spent his whole childhood listening to and sometimes even playing Chamkila songs. He performs Punjabi music live. His involvement was important in helping me clarify the film’s approach.

Regarding the incredible songs and music, what proportion is Chamkila’s original composition and what proportion is your own unique work that you choose to develop with?

The movie’s soundtrack is divided into two halves. Diljit and Parineeti recorded the live music live on site for Chamkila while shooting, and it is the original Punjabi song that we haven’t altered. For all of us, this was a fresh experience.

The second segment consists of the Hindi-Punjabi original songs written by Irshad and composed by AR Rahman for the movie. Here are six tracks for your listening pleasure. In this movie about a musician’s life, AR Rahman served as a mentor. He wasn’t simply a music director; he was also a co-director.

Chamkila had not written songs about his personal experiences, relationships, sentiments, or life in general. These are addressed in the background-playing movie music.
How was the experience of filming in Punjab? Were the people involved in the process?

The shooting in Punjab was amazing. Living with locals and filming in the backcountry of Punjab offered me a feeling of belonging that went beyond anything I had experienced in previous years. I was “earthing” it. never encountered anybody as kind as those in and around Sangrur, Punjab. An enormous number of locals took part in the movie. All 300 or so of the ladies you see in Naram Kaalja are locals; they are actual farm women, among other women. The majority of the performers in the movie, Diljit among them, have significant parts. Naturally, the research team, the art and decorating team, and the support personnel were all local. Collaborating with each of them was a boon.

Do you envision any issues in the future involving Chamkila, a person that was and is controversial?
I have rewritten the script for the movie several times from the perspectives of various parties, eliminating anything that would offend them. I’ve made a lot of people consult so that I know this. However, I am most certain in my conviction that, unlike Khushwant Singh, I am making this picture with love and no hate towards anybody.