"Good thing was we didn't fictionalise story of Chamkila": Imtiaz Ali on 'Amar Singh Chamkila' post Emmy nominations 2025

New Delhi [India], September 26 (ANI): Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ has been nominated in the category of Best TV/Mini-Series at the International Emmy Awards 2025.

A biographical drama which is based on the life of folk Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila has now earned global acclaim after securing praise in India following its release on Netflix in 2024. It starred Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in the lead roles.

Imtiaz Ali expressed his happiness at the nomination of his film ‘Chamkila’, saying that he is glad about the truthful representation of the Punjabi folk singer in the movie, which is now garnering appreciation at the global stage.

While talking to ANI, director Imtiaz Ali said, “Sajid and I were together when this news broke out. Sajid is my brother and also the co-writer of this film. So I said that the one good thing we did was that we didn’t fictionalise the story of Chamkila.”

The ‘Rockstar’ director shared his approach towards the making of the ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ movie. Imtiaz opened up about the challenges in making a biographical drama about the Punjabi folk singer, saying that he never wanted to opt for a “convenient narrative” for the film.

Rather than being dependent on the books and other literary sources, the director investigated the life of Chamila to understand the meaning behind his actions.

“We tried to move and understand what had happened based on what we discovered. We didn’t try to make it a convenient narrative. Sometimes the scenes were a bit undramatic. Sometimes they seemed not to follow logically why he did this after doing that. But that allowed us or that took us deeper into the story and into Chamkeela,” said Imtiaz Ali.

For Imtiaz, who is known for films like ‘Love Aaj Kal’, ‘Jab We Met’, and ‘Rockstar’, the movie ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ was a distinct addition to the director’s filmography.

The director described his experience of making Chamkila as “refreshing”.

“It was very refreshing for me. When I was just not writing a scene out of my imagination and bringing it to life, I was actually being a detective. I was trying to understand truthfully what it would have been. I tried not to mix any fiction with it nor try to make it convenient, filmy, dramatic or anything of that sort. I think that’s the one good thing that Sajid and I did,” said Imtiaz Ali.

Despite covering Amar Singh Chamkila as “truthfully” as possible, Imtiaz admitted that he had to omit several parts from Chamkila’s life in the biographical drama.

“I feel that I had to give up on many things. The life of Chamkila was much more dramatic than the film about Chamkila, as it spanned a longer period. Many things happened in terms of caste politics against him. There were many things, but I had to find my focus,” he said.

Imtiaz was clear with choosing Chamkila’s love for music as the basic plot for the movie.

“While writing the script or making the film, I realised that what I am trying to bring is like the love story of this man with his music. He could leave everything, but he couldn’t leave music. He was not a greedy man. He didn’t want too much money actually,” said Imtiaz Ali.

He continued, “He had a very simple, normal life, but he just could not give up on performance, and he gave up his life for it. So, it’s like a love story between music and him. I tried to focus on this one thing and everything else was happening around it.”

Monika Shergill, Vice President Content, Netflix India, called ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ a “bold and disruptive” movie.

“The way Chamkila was imagined by Imtiaz and, you know, the experimentation that he brought to it and the rules that he broke and the way he crafted the film, it was really like an artist’s vision. It wasn’t a regular, you know, formulaic expression of a subject. It was a very disruptive, very bold, very fresh, very experimental vision that he had,” said Monika Shergill while talking to ANI.

Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film tells the story of Punjab’s iconic folk singer Amar Singh Chamkila, often called the “Elvis of Punjab.”

Chamkila rose to fame in the 1980s for his bold songs and energetic performances, but his life was tragically cut short in 1988 when he and his wife, Amarjot Kaur, were killed at the age of 27.

Diljit Dosanjh portrayed Chamkila, the top-selling artist of his era, whereas Parineeti Chopra essayed the role of Amar Singh Chamkila’s wife, Amarjot Kaur.

Released on Netflix in April 2024, Amar Singh Chamkila was written by Imtiaz Ali and Sajid Ali. The film’s live-recorded folk music and emotionally driven storytelling have been widely appreciated. (ANI)

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