Imtiaz Ali and Diljit Dosanjh Collaborate on 'Amar Singh Chamkila' : A Fresh Take on the Punjabi Rockstar

On Thursday, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali claimed that working with Diljit Dosanjh, the superstar of Punjabi cinema, on the upcoming Netflix film "Amar Singh Chamkila" brought new energy to his career.

The lives and times of Amar Singh Chamkila, a well-known Punjabi musician in the 1980s who was murdered and killed in 1988 together with his singer-wife Amarjot, are the subject of the movie.

Parineeti Chopra plays Amarjot, the character's singing partner, in the film, which stars Dosanjh as the title character.

The filmmaker commended the musician-actor for fully committing to the role at this trailer launch event.

"I was just informed by someone that Diljit, who is a larger star than Chamkila, was filming in a Punjabi village while he was portraying the character. I'll wager that Diljit had no idea who he was when he was hiding his identity as Chamkila. He mistook him for Chamkila.

"He was just Chamkila, nothing more. All of us believed that Chamkila, not Diljit, was performing since it seemed too real. Something like that is noteworthy when someone does it. We work as we do because of this, Ali told reporters.

The filmmaker, who has worked on movies like "Jab We Met," "Love Aaj Kal," "Rockstar," and "Tamasha," claimed that Dosanjh is only getting started in his career.

"He's accomplished a lot, but this is only the beginning, I'm willing to wager. We'll follow him wherever he goes. I'm overjoyed that this freshness entered my life," he continued.

"Amar Singh Chamkila," which was written and directed by Ali, will tell the little-known tale of the late artist's life.

Known as Punjab's first rock star, the singer rose to prominence in the 1980s with his daring and thought-provoking lyrics that frequently tackled taboo subjects and social challenges. His distinctive approach combined modern topics with traditional Punjabi folk music to garner both controversy and a sizable fan base.

The director claimed to have discussed potential candidates for the lead part with music composer A R Rahman, who wrote the soundtrack for the movie, during the casting process.

"Diljit was the first name to come up, but we didn't think he would participate. I requested him to tell the story for five minutes when I spoke with him. However, the discussion lasted for over an hour. Without Diljit and Parineeti, this movie would not have been possible. When you watch it, maybe, you'll understand why I say that." According to Ali, Chopra was first selected for the Amarjot part, just like Dosanjh.

"She told me when we first met that she had been waiting five years to sing in a movie. She concurred when I added, "This is such a film." I discovered later that her face resembles Amarjot's." Dosanjh, who is also well-known for his roles in Hindi films like "Udta Punjab," "Good Newwz," and the soon-to-be released "Crew," claimed that as a teenager, he first heard Chamkila's song.

"When I was 14 or 15 years old, I met Chamberlain and discovered what an amazing artist he was. I think Chamkila and his works are still being followed by all the musicians in Punjab and even outside of it. If you ignore the lyrics, his songwriting is akin to that of a scientist. People still use such lyrics to create songs today," he said.

Produced by Window Seat Films, Saregama, Select Media Holdings LLP, and Mohit Choudhary, "Amar Singh Chamkila" will launch on Netflix on April 12.

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