Imtiaz Ali 'Amar Singh Chamkila' to premiere on Netflix from April 12

By Bollyy 31 Mar 2024 in Interview

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Amar Singh Chamkila is a film based on the life of musician Amar Singh Chamkila. The director and co-producer of the film is Imtiaz Ali. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in the lead roles, where Diljit will be seen playing the role of musician Amar Singh Chamkila, while Parineeti will be seen playing the role of his wife Amarjot Kaur. The film's soundtrack was composed by A. R. Given by Rahman. Let us tell you that the film will premiere on Netflix on April 12, 2024.

Imtiaz Ali, A. R. Rehman, Diljit Dosanjh, Parineeti Chopra at Film Trailer Launch

Question- Imtiaz, as a filmmaker, you have the option of making many films, so why only 'Amar Singh Chamkila'?

Imtiaz- When you live in a city in the era of social media, you realize that you are cut off from a large section of the population of your own country. Sometimes I feel that we are becoming more and more distant from the people who are a large part of our country. The best thing about Chamkila is that he was an entertainer for that large part of our country with which we are unable to connect. People were crazy about Amar Singh Chamkila to such an extent that they used to keep the date of their marriage on the day on which Amar Singh Chamkila could perform.

I also had to understand how they worked so that I could bring it into my work world. Secondly, he was a very enigmatic musician who challenged the norms of society and unfortunately, he was tragically murdered at the peak of his career. These characters were very mysterious, I also wanted to know about this mysterious world where Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur saw the height of their career at the age of just 27 and the tragic end that followed.

Question- It has probably been 9 years since you and Imtiaz worked together. So when Imtiaz called you and said that you could not say no to his film?

Rahman- The relationship with some directors is not between the director and the producer. There is a relationship of a friend with them and you become a co-storyteller with them in that story and Imtiaz is one of them.

Question- You have worked in different genres of Punjabi music. What did you like about this sound that you worked on?

Rahman- Things change every few years in every industry. And there are different taboos in music in every era, the further back in time we go the more naughty the songs used to be. Even in Tamil, we cannot use the lyrics of the songs made in the 40s and 50s.

Question- Does it ever happen when you get A. R. If you don't like the music made by Rahman Sir then do you call him?

Imtiaz- When Rahman sir composed music for me for the first time, I was feeling very relieved. Even if I don't like what they made, I am A. R. I can't tell Rahman that I didn't like it. Thank God that I always liked the music made by Sir. And for us, it is not just work, it is like a journey. Together we decide what kind of music looks good for the film.

Question- The film stars Parineeti, Diljit Dosanjh, and A.R Rahman. Imtiaz tells us how this happened.

Imtiaz- The first person I contacted about this film was A. R. We had talked to Rehman and after that, we were thinking about who would play the character of Amar Singh Chamkila in the film and the first name that came to our mind was Diljit Paaji. But at that time we were thinking that we didn't know whether Diljit would do this or not. After some time, I spoke to Diljit, and the way he heard the story, I was confirmed that this film could not have been made without Diljit and Parineeti. When people watch this film, they will realize why I said this. Parineeti was our number 1 choice. Luckily, when we met her for this film, she said that she had been waiting for a film for the last five years in which she would get a chance to sing. When I told him that he could get this opportunity in this film, he said yes to the film. We realized that Parineeti's personality also resembles Amarjot a bit. Then we told Parineeti to eat whatever she wanted because she had to increase her weight by ten kilos. I don't think any actor would have done this because it is a big deal for an actor to gain so much weight. I am very thankful to both of them for working on this film.

Question- Parineeti, you were looking for a role for a long time in which you could sing. This film has fulfilled your dream. Tell us something about how all this happened and how you are feeling.

Parineeti- To be honest, I am scared that Chamkila has given me such a good experience that I will see the same things in whatever films I do in the future. In this film, I have worked with the best director, best co-star, and best music director at the best location. It is a big deal for me to play the role of a legendary singer like Amarjot ji and in that too I have sung for this character myself, so now I am not able to understand what I will do in the next picture. Shooting Chamkila was meditation for me. After returning from the shooting, it felt as if I had spent my time in a Gurdwara. I feel that I must have done something right in life, and that is why Imtiaz sir offered me this film. From the day I entered into this industry, I have a list of directors with whom I want to work, in which Imtiaz Sir's name is at the top. I have become a fan of this experience and I feel that I have now been spoiled for life.

Question- Diljit, you are a great musician, and in this film, you are playing the character of a musician Chamkila. How was your experience working on this film?

Diljeet- I think even today, all the musicians from Punjab and outside Punjab still follow Chamkila and his compositions. The kind of songs Chamkila used to compose was at a scientific level. We do not know how he created such a composition and how he worked on it, but even today songs are being made from the lyrics of his songs and people are using his compositions. There was talk of making Chamkila film for a long time but I did not think that this film would be made in Hindi because all the songs of Chamkila ji are in Punjabi. We know about Chamkila ji's songs, but what is her story, what song could be for her, we had never thought from this point of view. When it was revealed that the music of the film was composed by A. R. Rehman sir is doing it, so nothing could be bigger than this for us. When you watch the film, you will come to know how much hard work Parineeti ji has put in for this film because singing Amarjot's song is more difficult than singing Chamkila ji's because Amarjot's notes were higher than Chamkila ji's notes. We are all very happy that the film is coming on Netflix. We only hope that if Chamkila is somewhere listening or watching us, he will also like the work we have done.

Question- When Imtiaz Ji approached you for this film, when did you decide that you wanted to do this film?

Diljit- I was ready for this film. I had never even dreamed of doing a film with Imtiaz sir. The credit for doing my film also goes to Chamkila. Had this story not been there, I would never have been the hero of Imtiaz sir's film.

Question- Diljit and Parineeti have sung live for you in this film, would you like to tell something about it?

Rahman- As far as I remember, Parineeti was driving and we were on a Zoom call when I asked Parineeti to sing.

Parineeti- Two years ago I was going to a party and at that time I got a call from Imtiaz sir, he told me that we all are doing a video call, can I join? I was in a traffic jam at that time and I attended the call from there. I thought this call would only be an introduction. Then suddenly Rahman sir asked if I knew how to sing. I felt that I should give a safe answer, so I said, Sir, I like singing. He said then show us and sing a song. At that time I felt that now the picture was lost. In this film, we have sung the songs of Amarjeet and Chamkila, and the songs of Rahman sir gave music to have also been sung by us.

Question- Did you listen to Amar Singh Chamkila's songs when you were young, and were you inspired by his music?

Diljit- When I was fourteen to fifteen years old, I started listening to his songs. Before that, I used to listen to whatever everyone in the house listened to. When I came out, I came to know about Chamkila and when I heard her, I realized what an amazing artist she is.

Question- What did you learn from the sets of the film Amar Singh Chamkila, or is there anything related to this film that you will always remember?

Parineeti- I feel that when a lot of good and pure-hearted people work together, they create something special. I have seen the party truth and love of this film in every person associated with this film. No one has made it like a film. We 200 people were working together peacefully and lovingly. My biggest learning from this film is that films should be made like this. Films should not be made like projects and should never be made for the wrong reasons. A film should always be made from the heart, and after working on this film, I will always be looking for something like this.

Question- What is that thing among all the things that we will get to see in Chamkila?

Imtiaz- So many things are still on the stage, who have said so many things. Someone told me a few days ago that when Diljit was shooting in a village in Punjab in the role of Chamkila, he himself was such a big superstar. At that time I was struck by the way Diljit has performed, that too in a place where everyone knows about his name and fame. I can say with certainty that the way Diljit played the character of Chamkila, even he did not know who he was at that time. At that time, Diljit had completely gone into the character of Chamkila and because of that even I did not realize who he was at that time. We all felt that only Chamkila was performing there. I am very thankful to Netflix for giving our film a chance.

During the trailer launch of the film, Diljit Dosanjh became emotional after listening to Imtiaz Ali.

Question- If you could describe the song of Chamkila in a few words, A. R. If you have to tell it in Rahman's way, how will you tell it?

Rahman- I think this is a part of Indian heritage that has been redefined through this film.

Amar Singh Chamkila Release Date, Cast and Plot