Amar Singh Chamkila Review: Imtiaz Ali Film Ft Diljit Dosanjh, Parineeti Chopra Is A Flawless Work Of Art On Elvis Of Punjab!
Needless to say it's a must-watch!
4.5 / 5
The story of Amar Singh Chamkila, the popular Punjabi singer who lost his life for the love of singing is not known to many. This is the biggest reason why Imtiaz Ali’s new film starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra as Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur respectively becomes a must-watch. Anjum Batra and Anurag Arora also play pivotal characters in this film and are delightful to watch. Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila left me feeling a gamut of emotions with its hard-hitting storytelling, performances worth a standing ovation, direction that keeps you hooked throughout and of course, the soul-stirring music. The film packs all the important facets from the life of Punjab’s record-breaking singer within 2hrs 20 minutes and trust me, it is a work of art. Here’s my detailed review of the film.
View this post on Instagram
Plot
Amar Singh Chamkila, a film by Imtiaz Ali, draws inspiration from true events in Chamkila’s life. It shows the courageous and tragic journey of Chamkila from being an ordinary man Dhanni Ram to becoming Punjab’s record-breaking singer at the age of 27, and ultimately the sudden demise. The Imtiaz Ali film shows many significant aspects of Chamkila’s life including fragments of his childhood, his youth and dreams to become a famous singer, the obstacles and his cute but short-lived love story with life and singing partner Amarjot Kaur. Amar Singh Chamkila shows both criticism and praise that the singer got for his songs. Additionally, there was also a conscious effort by the director to add a sharp commentary on everything that transpired in the singer’s life. As a result of all these elements, the plot becomes a compelling one.
View this post on Instagram
Performances
Diljit Dosanjh: During his interviews, Diljit Dosanjh said that he could feel Chamkila’s energy on the set as well, and honestly, I felt that while watching this film. The lead star was phenomenal in his role. Diljit Dosanjh has wholly transformed himself into Chamkila, and not once did I realise that it was Diljit playing a real-life character. You know the moment when actors are not acting, but living it, Diljit does that throughout the film. There’s nothing that can describe his class-apart singing skills that became the strength of his character. I could not imagine any other actor playing the role of Chamkila on the screen, and Diljit Dosanjh has very evidently given his heart and soul to this film. I may be short of words to praise the actor’s work in Amar Singh Chamkila.
View this post on Instagram
Parineeti Chopra: The actress plays Chamkila’s wife and singing partner Amarjot Kaur in the film. Parineeti Chopra displays her versatility as an artist in this film. Her singing talent comes in handy in this film, and honestly, it does not disappoint. She is endearing in her character as Amarjot and justifies all the emotions that the singer must have felt as the wife to one of the most controversial singers of Punjab. While the Imtiaz Ali film was mainly focused on Chamkila’s life story, Parineeti Chopra’s Amarjot Kaur also has a decent screen space in the movie.
Anjum Batra: He plays the role of Chamkila’s close aide and the first member of his band Tikki. After his stint in Netflix’s Maamla Legal Hai, Anjum Batra, yet again, proves his acting prowess. The range of emotions displayed by the actor translates beautifully to the audience. He makes sure to stand out in every scene with Diljit Dosanjh, and while the actor brings a smile to our faces, he also compels us to feel the regrets that the real-life Tikki still goes through.
View this post on Instagram
Anurag Arora: He plays a police officer in Amar Singh Chamkila but his character felt like I was in his place. Anurag Arora’s character comes with a certain mindset for Chamkila but goes through a drastic change of heart after listening to his life story. And that’s how I relate hard to his character. Anurag Arora’s subtle emotions and some hilarious punch lines stay with us till the end of the film.
Supporting Cast: All the actors in the film have put their best foot forward. Most of them are new faces with great talent who easily transport us to the world of Chamkila.
Also Read: What To Watch From April 8 To 14: Amar Singh Chamkila, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Maidaan, And More
Storytelling And Imtiaz Ali
While Imtiaz Ali has his signature style of direction in this film, many new things have been tried to make Amar Singh Chamkila more compelling, especially with the use of A R Rahman’s music. The film starts with a song Baaja that gives a brief about Dhanni Ram AKA Chamkila’s life story. And it instantly hooks us to the movie. Imtiaz Ali has ditched the linear form of storytelling entirely for this one. The movie constantly moves between past and present, there is animation to break the monotony of the storytelling, and original pictures keep popping up to remind the audience that Chamkila is not just a character but a man who lived this unbelievable life of passion and tragedy. The smart decision to shoot all the songs by Diljit Dosanjh (Chamkila) and Parineeti Chopra (Amarjot Kaur) live adds a realistic sheen to the plot. The addition of songs to throw subtle commentaries, especially towards the end is the brilliance of the film that shouldn’t go unnoticed! The storytelling is a surprise package and it’s hard to predict the format of the next scene.
View this post on Instagram
Music
I don’t know where to begin! The legendary trio of Imtiaz Ali, A R Rahman and Irshad Kamil have come together to create the exceptional music album of Amar Singh Chamkila. My personal favourite has to be ‘Ishq Mitaye’ sung by Mohit Chauhan. However, after watching the film, it’s hard to decide now. Special mention to the song ‘Naram Kaalja’ sung by Alka Yagnik, Richa Sharma, Pooja Tiwary and Yashika Sikka and performed by 300 women of all age groups. I could not stop clapping through the song because the music and the performance by the women were class apart. Naram Kalja describes the perspectives of women and their rebellious nature to not abide by the set rules of society. Also, the song shows that Chamkila who was shamed and killed for making “Ashleel” songs objectifying women also enjoyed their mass fan-following. ‘Vida Karo’ is another song that gave me goosebumps and the track evokes a feeling of loss! ‘Tu Kya Jaane’ is a beautiful romantic song that shows the blossoming love story between Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur. The film’s music album is a treasure for all the Melophiles.
View this post on Instagram
My Thoughts!
While Amar Singh Chamkila may just be a film for us, it was an eventful albeit short life lived by Chamkila, Amarjot Kaur and everyone close to them, some of whom are still alive. The film gives us every perspective, opinion and conversation that went around during the golden period of Chamkila’s life. It also presents a third-person perspective from a distant point of view which I had while watching the film. Amar Singh Chamkila, popularly known as Punjab’s Elvis Presley, was criticised by a certain section of the society for the obscene lyrics and their negative influence on youth, and this hatred ultimately became the reason behind his and Amarjot’s unprecedented death.
The film also again made me realise the hypocritical nature of our society. There are several folk songs sung by women for years on auspicious occasions in our culture whose blatant lyrics objectify men and women both, but never has objection been raised over it, let alone someone killed over it. I say this because I have heard quite a few of these songs growing up, and honestly? The songs were more likeable than offensive.
Verdict
Imtiaz Ali’s film Amar Singh Chamkila starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra gives us insights into Chamkila’s life. I learnt a lot more about the singer after watching this movie than I had before, which proves that solid research has been done before presenting this story. Fresh storytelling and direction deserve all the applause and appreciation. Diljit Dosanjh hits it out of the park and well, this would still be an understatement about his work. Amar Singh Chamkila brings back the Elvis Presley of Punjab to life and his portrayal of the character will stay with us for a long time.
I had the opportunity to watch the film on the silver screen at the Mumbai Mami Film Festival (MAMI), and it will be available on Netflix from April 12, Friday. This is a film that I insist you watch because it’s a story that needs our attention. And not to forget, even after so many years, artists continue to face the dilemma of choosing between the love for their art and the norms set by society!
