Mumbai Sep 29 (IANS) Director Imtiaz Ali believes that some films are not logical choices but emotional compulsions, and “Amar Singh Chamkila” was exactly that.
The movie that recently has won a nomination at the International Emmy Awards has made both fans and Imtiaz Ali thrilled and overwhelmed. Speaking exclusively with IANS, the filmmaker shared how faith drew him to tell the story of Punjab. Ali revealed that Chamkila’s name had been suggested to him many times during shoots in Punjab, but he never felt ready.
Right issues and his limited knowledge held him back. “Every time I used to go and shoot in Punjab, people used to tell me the story of Chamkila – ‘You know, there was this guy in the 1980s, and he was the biggest phenomenon. There’s never been a musical star like that in Punjab. He was so popular, and his life was so dramatic and tragic,’ they would say.” They would ask, “Why wasn’t I considering making a movie on his life?”
Ali added, “Then I realised that many of my friends and many people in the Bombay film industry had tried to make a film on his life. I never had the thought that I should make a film on him because I didn’t know much about him at that point in time. Also, I knew that there was some issue about the rights to the film of his life.”
Imtiaz, elaborating on how Chamkila was a movie destined for him, said, “One day a guy called Harpreet just walked into the office, during the pandemic, and just said that he had managed for the first time to get the rights to the film and that he wanted me to work on the movie.”
Ali added, “He had nothing to do with the film industry, but he was the one who thought that I should make it. Just a person from nowhere, just a man on the street, can do you a big favour which a multimillionaire can’t.” For Imtiaz Ali, Chamkila’s story of staggering fame in the 1980s and his tragic end was waiting to be told. “In a way, it was destiny,” he said, calling the project a blessing.
Talking about ‘Amar Singh Chamkila to IANS, Monika Shergill, VP Content at Netflix, added , that the film’s global recognition at the International Emmy Awards is proof that deeply local stories can resonate worldwide. “It belongs to everyone. As an Indian, it’s lovely to see a distinctive film like this nominated internationally,” she said.
She continued “I actually would say that the world is suddenly waking up to the power of music in storytelling. You know, if I were to look at K-pop Demon Hunters, it’s the biggest film ever on Netflix. And the music of it is trending all around the world. I mean, Chamkila came before that.”
Elaborating further she stated, “With Chamkila being recognised through this nomination and all the awards Chamkila has won, all the love that has come Chamkila’s way, the social media phenomenon, the songs, the reels – with all of it, I think the world is actually experiencing it through different stories from India.”
Citing examples of other blockbusters, Shergill said, “Same thing with “RRR”, the way “Natu Natu” travelled. So I feel Chamkila is in that line of greats, where it is taking the culture from India and actually giving a very different grammar of storytelling to the world. To have a story and music go hand in hand and actually be so defining for people universally – I think that’s something special that Chamkila has done and achieved. It just shows that we don’t need to change that.”
“Amar Singh Chamkila”, which released in 2024, featured Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in the lead. –IANS
rd/
