Diljit Dosanjh on 'Amar Singh Chamkila' and International Collabs

All eyes are on Netflix’s latest biopic on the life of a legendary Punjabi voice, which is essayed by the singer-actor

- ANURAG TAGAT

With the release of Imtiaz Ali’s biopic Amar Singh Chamkila on Netflix today, a new narrative of sorts gets built around the titular character, essayed by singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh. Joined by Parineeti Chopra (who plays Chamkila’s wife Amarjot), the film also features music by composing legend A.R. Rahman.

All in all, it’s a heavy-hitter project for Dosanjh – who was, around this time last year, performing at Coachella festival in the U.S. in what became a landmark set. As part of a general press round, Dosanjh fielded questions about the making of Chamkila, how he doesn’t really think back to Coachella and is only moving forward. Excerpts:

According to you, why should people watch Amar Singh Chamkila?

I personally feel that everyone knows about Chamkila, but if there’s someone out there who hasn’t heard of him, it’s a very interesting story. It’s not that it’s just an artist’s story, but about a human being, his journey and what he experiences through time. [It’s set] in the Eighties [and] it shows a lot about what Punjab was like and what the atmosphere was [in the country]. It’s not a fictional story, but a true story. You’ll get a lot to learn, about Chamkila. I think those who are fans of Chamkila will watch it anyway.

What drew you to the role and what was the prep like to play the ‘Elvis of Punjab’?