Movie: Amar Singh Chamkila

Where to watch: Netflix

Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Parineeti Chopra

Director: Imtiaz Ali

Music Director: A. R. Rahman

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars 

Popularly called the Elvis of Punjab, Amar Singh Chamkila was constantly rebuked and chastised for his lewd lyrics, and raunchy songs which were vulgarly explicit. He simply responded with “That’s what people want to hear, and that’s what am giving them. He was a slave to his audience and knew their pulse.

Years before the digital age and social media spawned superstars whose fame was directly proportional to the views they garnered across the many platforms and apps, Chamkila’s stardom was way beyond comprehension.

He fanned the flames of fame becoming Punjab’s highest-selling artist, his records finding a place of pride in shops and homes, and his songs enthralled audiences beyond home shores.

Imtiaz Ali succinctly brings the life and times of the audacious and maverick singer Chamkila whose raw and unfiltered songs pulsated across Punjab, USA, UK, and Canada. The film starts where usually stories end, the assassination of Chamkila and his wife Amarjyot( Parineeti Chopra) on March 8, 1988, in Behrampur near Jallandhar.

Their bodies plummeted with bullets, and as the cops and people muttered good riddance, was there no one mourning the tragedy, and their beloved singer?

Imtiaz Ali gives a splendid musical introduction to WHO WAS CHAMKILA, narrated by people ( men and women,)as they gave their version and understanding of the man the state loved to hate as much as they hated to enjoy his music.

A man who scorched popularity charts as much as he was slandered and threatened for his crass songs, for misleading the youth, and for objectifying women. What was the myth and mystique? His story is of an uneducated young boy from the lowest rung of society, a factory worker who is only entranced by making music.

His songs are risqué, with lyrics that are double meaning talking about sex, illicit relationships, alcohol, dowry, and drug abuse. “ I sing what I have always heard”, says Chamkila whose records such as Jija Lak Minle, Mitra Main Khand Ban Gai, and Hikk Utte So Ja Ve were mega hits.

His audaciousness was admired as well as it was resented. Imtiaz Ali makes you question the possibility of the many endings to his and Amarjyot’s murder which remains unresolved. Were they killed by dissidents who felt he was polluting the minds of the young with his obscene songs, or was he killed by his jealous rivals, who were threatened by predominant status in the Punjabi music industry? Or did he pay the price for remarrying a Jatt Sikh girl? The conspiracy theories are enormous and Imtiaz masterfully weaves in a musical tapestry of Chamkila’s life.

Diljit Dosanjh strikes all the right notes giving a pitch-perfect performance as Chamkila. He gets the beats of his character with a natural ease, it’s difficult to imagine anyone other than him playing Chamkila, Parineeti Chopra fits in well as Amarjyot and strikes the right chord.

But, the soul of the film is its music. Chamkila’s songs and the genius of AR Rehman’s compositions give you the perfect blend of the flavours of Punjab and retro pop.

Chamkila is a benchmark for a well-crafted biopic of an artist who continues to be an enigma.

Watch the trailer here: