“Chamkila has ruined the experience of every other film that I’m going to do now because I have worked with the best director, the best co-star, the best music director, the best location…I have done a role that I don’t think any other actor can get, to immortalise a person, a musician, a legend like Amarjot Kaur. Then, to be able to sing myself…sab kuch toh kar liya, main agle picture main kya karoongi?” Parineeti Chopra says about her new film, Amar Singh Chamkila.
Directed by Imtiaz Ali, it tells the true story of Punjabi singer Chamkila, a top-selling artist of his time, who rose from poverty to immense fame in the 1980s through his powerful music. He joined forces with singer Amarjot Kaur and married her. But Chamkila angered many people along the way, and that led to his assassination at the young age of 27.
The film will stream on Netflix from April 12.
Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com and Afsar Dayatar/Rediff.com bring back interesting moments and performances.
What is it about Amar Singh Chamkila’s Punjabi music that fascinated a musical legend like A R Rahman?
“Each period has songs that are taboo. And this one, the earlier one goes, the naughtier the songs were. Even in Tamil, the ’40s and ’50s had lyrics which we can’t even use now,” Rahman says with a chuckle.
“Stories of young musicians that challenge the norms of society, who see unprecedented success and then have violent ends are, unfortunately, a worldwide phenomenon. The life and times of Chamkila raised important questions for society but ultimately, it is a celebration of the life of an artist, the story of a musician who could never give up his first love: Music,” Imtiaz adds.
The director then discusses the casting process: “The first person I spoke to about the film was A R Rahman. We were wondering who should we cast. The first name that came to our mind was Diljitpaaji‘s. But we felt that this casting won’t happen and that he won’t do the film.
“I even remember talking to Angad (Bedi). Angad also said, ‘Why don’t you talk to Diljit?'”
Neha Dhupia, who was hosting the event, quipped, “I am hoping Diljit recommends Angad’s name for another film.”
Imtiaz continued, “Finally, Diljit and I spoke. I thought I’ll have a five minute conversation to fix up a time for narration. We ended up talking for an hour. What happens is that when you are telling the story to an actor, if you are liking it yourself, then that’s the actor you want in the film. The way Diljit listened to the narration, I started getting more interested in the story.”
Was Diljit inspired by Chamkila’s music in his younger years? He tells us here.
Parineeti also shares how Diljit doubled up as her coach in the film.
The video gets touching, as Diljit tears up after hearing lavish praise from his director, Imtiaz Ali.
Watch Diljit and Parineeti perform live!
Rahman and Kailash Kher give us a sneak peek of the film’s music. Watch them perform here.
Singer Yashika Sikka performs at the event.
With inputs from ANI.
