Amar Singh Chamkila was an interesting opportunity to make a cinematic film in the OTT space. He told filmmaker Imtiaz Ali about the upcoming biopic that took him to different corners of Punjab. The film, starring musician-actor Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, revolves around the life and times of Amar Singh Chamkila, a popular Punjabi singer in the ’80s who was shot dead with his singer-wife Amarjot in 1988. Amar Singh Chamkila Teaser: Diljit Dosanjh’s First Look As Slain Punjabi Singer Unveiled From This Imtiaz Ali Directorial (Watch Announcement Video).
The movies I enjoy on OTT platforms are extremely cinematic, which I enjoy in theatres. I believe people want to watch cinematic movies, irrespective of the platform,” he said in an interview with PTI.
Known for modern relationship dramas such as Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal, Rockstar, and Tamasha, Ali initially wasn’t sure whether he wanted to direct the movie. However, as the story unfolded, he realized he had something to say through Chamkila’s story. Amar Singh Chamkila Song ‘Naram Kaalja’: New Track by Alka Yagnik Offers a Soulful Fusion of Traditional Melodies for Film Starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra (Watch Video).
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It’s not a word or a sentence. It’s more like a feeling or a state of mind. I’ve tried to be as authentic as possible, but within that, I feel that my voice is in it,” he added.
Punjab has served as a backdrop in many of his stories, most notably in Jab We Met and When Harry Met Sejal, but Amar Singh Chamkila helped him connect with people from the state’s interiors.
We travelled to small villages and met people who make up most of this state and this country, which is rural. They don’t claim to be intellectuals and are connected by music or cinema. Connecting with those people and experiencing the rawness of the land has been interesting, unlike my other experiences.