Chamkila teaser: Diljit Dosanjh transforms into singer Amar Singh Chamkila, who was killed at 27 with wife Amarjot

Talking about his film, Imtiaz, in a statement, shared that it has been a unique journey for me. “I could not have asked for better actors than the immensely talented Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra to play in this film, especially since it involves some live singing. The film follows the crazed popularity of Chamkila’s daring songs that society could neither ignore nor swallow.”

Singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh further shared that playing Amar Singh Chamkila has been one of the most challenging experiences of his life. “It has been a pleasure to work with Parineeti and the entire team that has worked extremely hard to bring this beautiful story to life. To be able to sing to Rahman sir’s exemplary music was a meditative experience and I hope I have been able to do justice to his vision. Thank you Imtiaz bhajee for believing in me for this role,” he added.

Parineeti, who decided to opt out of Ranbir Kapoor-Sandeep Reddy’s Animal for Chamkila, on her part, shared, “It is a privilege to play Amarjot, Chamkila’s singing partner and wife in this incredible film and I am truly grateful to Imtiaz sir for this opportunity. Sharing the screen with Diljit has been an immensely enriching experience. For me, singing is a passion and collaborating with the legendary AR Rahman has been a long-awaited dream.”

Who was Amar Singh Chamkila?

Born on July 21, 1960 in Dugri, a village near Ludhiana, Amar Singh Chamkila‘s real name was Dhani Ram. The youngest child of Kartar Kaur and Hari Singh Sandila, he aspired to be an electrician, before joining a Ludhiana cloth mill.

He started performing in the early 80s and moved from band to band, in quest of equal pay and importance. He formed his own band Chamkila and got singer Amarjot to join him to sing duets. Chamkila penned his own songs, majority of which were suggestive yet also made commentaries on extramarital affairs, alcohol, and drug use. The couple soon became popular not just in Punjab but also among Punjabis who lived on foreign shores.

Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur, who were gunned down during the dark period of militancy in Punjab when they arrived for a performance with their band. (Photo: File)

Both Chamkila and Amarjot were gunned down as they stepped out of their car on March 8, 1988 by a gang of motorcyclists. Two other members of their band were also killed in this assassination. However, the case was never solved and no arrest was made. It was alleged that Sikh militants were behind the killings.

The highest record-selling artist of his time, Chamkila is still regarded as one of the best live-stage performers that Punjab has ever produced. As per reports, Amit Trivedi had once called Chamkila “a legend, the Elvis of Punjab”, while British Indian musician, Panjabi MC cited him as one of his musical influences.

Before Imtiaz Ali’s Chamkila, Diljit Dosanjh also starred in Jodi, a film based on the love story of Amar Singh and Amarjot Kaur. It released earlier this month to a positive response. Filmmaker Kabir Singh Chowdhry also made a mockumentary Mehsampur in 2018 based on Chamkila’s life.