Imtiaz Ali says it was important to talk about Amar Singh Chamkila’s caste in the film: ‘He lost his life because he couldn’t say no to anybody’

 

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“All of us who live in cities and are disconnected from the masses living in villages (where casteism is prevalent), are de-recognising the larger part of our country. What moves them, what their problems and disadvantages are, and what is important to them needs to be spoken about. How can we not look at them? Are we going to try and fool ourselves by believing that everyone in our country sits in places like this and speaks English? The answer is no!” he told Mid-Day India in a recent interview.

The Highway director said that Chamkila, in his film, is always seen as the servant of the masses and never as a star. “He is a deeply humble man who never throws tantrums. He comes from the most disadvantaged background. He is always agreeing to do what everyone asks him to do and that’s he how he lost his life because he couldn’t say no to anybody,” Imtiaz added.

 

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While Imtiaz believes that he needed to address prejudices like caste, class and inequality, he never set out to make Amar Singh Chamkila a “bold film.” However, as a filmmaker, he feels responsible for tackling “real issues” in the country. “At times, filmmakers will have to be allowed to talk about the real issues in this country. I am happy that the audience noticed that there is mention of the disadvantaged background that Chamkila came from. If I am making a film about his life, I have to show his biggest disadvantage. People are judgmental about class and race and these kinds of things. To denounce it you must not pretend that it doesn’t exist (sic),” he asserted.

Amar Singh Chamkila, which premiered on Netflix on April 12, also features Parineeti Chopra playing Chamkila’s wife and singer partner, Amarjot Kaur.