Amar Singh Chamkila is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama directed by Imtiaz Ali, based on the life of iconic Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila. Starring Diljit Dosanjh in the lead role and Parineeti Chopra as his wife, Amarjot, the film explores the controversial and impactful journey of the legendary artist.
With music composed by A. R. Rahman and lyrics by Irshad Kamil, the film captures the spirit of Chamkila’s raw and rebellious music. Premiering on 8 April 2024 in Mumbai and released on Netflix on 12 April 2024, the film received widespread critical acclaim and marked a powerful comeback for director Imtiaz Ali.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Imtiaz Ali
- Writter: Imtiaz Ali, Sajid Ali
- Producer: Imtiaz Ali, Mohit Choudhary
- Star Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Parineeti Chopra
- Cinematography: Sylvester Fonseca
- Editor: Aarti Bajaj
- Music Director: A. R. Rahman
- Production company: Window Seat Films, Select Media Holdings LLP, Saregama
- Genres: Drama, Biography, Romance
- Distributor: Netflix
- Release date: 8 April 2024
- Running time: 146 minutes
- Country: India
- Language: Hindi
Amar Singh Chamkila movie 2024 trailer
Film Star Cast
- Diljit Dosanjh as Amar Singh Chamkila
- Parineeti Chopra as Amarjot Kaur
- Apinderdeep Singh as Swarn Singh Sivia
- Nisha Bano as Sonia
- Rahul Mittra as DSP Bhatti
- Anjum Batra as Kesar Singh Tiki
- Udaybir Sandhu as Jitender Jinda
- Sahiba Bali as Interview Reporter
- Tushar Dutt as Pirthipal Singh Dhakkan
- Robbie Johal as Kikar Dalewala
- Pavneet Singh as Babbu
- Anuraag Arora as Dalbir Singh
- Jasmeet Singh Bhatia as Constable
- Pranav Vashisht as Pamma
- Kul Sidhu as Gurmel Kaur
- Ankit Sagar as Kashmiri Lal
- Anjali Sharma as Amarjot’s sister
- Mohit Chauhan
- Kumud Mishra as Ahmed
Production
Development
Imtiaz Ali, who owns Window Seat Films, made the announcement. famous for modern love dramas such as Jab We Met (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Rockstar (2011), and Tamasha (2015) among others. The film tells the story of Amar Singh Chamkila, the first well-known rock musician from Punjab, who was murdered when he was quite young. As a director, it seemed like a completely different experience to shoot for Chamkila, Ali continued, calling the film “a unique adventure” for him. The film follows the incredible success of Chamkila’s bold songs, which society could neither ignore nor tolerate. It made it possible for me to rediscover a new side of myself.
The movie was originally called Chamkila, but it was eventually retitled Amar Singh Chamkila. In all, Parineeti Chopra and Diljit Dosanjh sang fifteen songs for the movie. Regarding this, Chopra said, “One of the main reasons I did this film was because I was getting to sing some 15 songs for it.” Ali has not had a picture released in theaters for four years, but this one marks his comeback as a filmmaker.
Casting
Diljit Dosanjh was chosen to portray Amar Singh Chamkila, the film’s title character. According to Dosanjh, one of the most difficult experiences of my life has been playing Amar Singh Chamkila.
Amarjot Kaur, Chamkila’s second wife, was portrayed by Parineeti Chopra. Due to scheduling issues, Chopra quit Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal to work on the project. It is among the most thrilling movies I have ever worked on,” Chopra said. Chopra gained fifteen kg for the movie, which sparked online pregnancy rumors.
I could not have asked for better actors than the incredibly talented Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra to play in this film, especially since it involves some live singing, Ali said about hiring Dosanjh and Chopra. Ali thereafter cast Rahul Mittra, a filmmaker, in a crucial part.
Filming
In December 2022, the main photography began. The film was filmed in places around Punjab, which serves as its primary setting. By the end of March 2023, filming was over, with both Chopra and Dosanjh having finished shooting. Punjabi shooting sites include Mehsampur, Sangrur, and Ludhiana. Additionally, a segment was filmed in Mumbai.
Story of the film
Before his tragic demise, a modest musician struggles with rising recognition and harsh criticism, yet his bold lyrics spark renown and rage throughout Punjab.
Born into a Ravidassia Dalit Sikh family in Punjab, Amar Singh worked at a factory that produced socks as a youngster, much to his dismay, while performing music broke his heart and soul. In the end, he decided to break free and began establishing relationships with musicians in the state with the assistance of his friends.
He began working for renowned singer and musician Jatinder Jinda (Surinder Shinda), who recognized his potential and started using his lyrics in his songs (without citing Amar Singh). He was fortunate enough to be able to sing in Jinda’s place because he was running late, and the audience was so enthralled with Amar Singh’s performance—the name “Chamkila” was initially linked to him at this event—that they no longer wanted to hear the lead singer Jinda because of the intensity of his voice and lyrics. His life’s journey following that incident, including his unsolved assassination, is followed for the remainder of the film.
Release
The movie released on April 8, 2024. In keeping with Baisakhi, the movie was made available on Netflix on April 12, 2024.
Songs/Music
A. R. Rahman is the composer of the background score and music CD. Irshad Kamil wrote the song’s lyrics. On March 29, 2024, the soundtrack CD was made available via the Saregama record label. The soundtrack was published before the movie, which is different from how music CDs for Hindi films are distributed on Netflix. Through the record company Saregama, the live CD of recordings utilized in the movie’s background soundtrack was made available on May 29, 2024. For their on-stage appearances in the movie, Dosanjh and Chopra recorded most of the 14 tracks live in their voices. for their on-stage roles in the movie. Rahman and lyricist Irshad Kamil created songs with a strong rhythmic foundation and modified them for the Broadway show. He claims that the tracks on the Punjabi-language soundtrack CD are more frequent than those on the Rockstar soundtrack. Despite being pop, Chamkila’s songs expressed philosophy. The movie’s soundtrack was dubbed a very naughty picture” by Rahman. Following a musical reconnaissance, Kamil identified “naughty Punjabi lyrics performed by women in Chamkila’s musical works.
Music reviewers gave the soundtrack album favorable reviews when it was first released, praising the meticulous composition of the songs as well as the rhythms, lyrical phrases, atmosphere, and tone. They continued by summarizing that the soundtrack had effectively constructed a story that resembled a musical while capturing the essence of Punjabi music.
Review
Amandeep Kaur, the oldest daughter of Amar Singh Chamkila, expressed dissatisfaction with Imtiaz Ali. She said that by leaving out important family events, particularly her mother, Gurmail Kau, conducting her father’s funeral rites, Imtiaz Ali did not do the film justice. The second wife of Amar Singh Chamkila, Amarjot, was seen by Imtiaz Ali, she added, but no one from her family was present.
Reviewers gave Amar Singh Chamkila great honors for Ali’s directing, the music, and the performances of Diljit Dosanjh and Pariniti Chopra. With an average rating of 7.4 out of 10, 88% of the 24 critics’ reviews on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes are positive.
Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com gave it a rating of four out of five stars and noted that Diljit Dosanjh’s ability to effortlessly adopt the vocal identity of Amar Singh Chamkila demonstrates the genius of his talent.
NDTV’s Saibal Chatterjee rated the movie four stars out of five, stating that it is both celebratory and melancholy, thoughtful and energetic, purposefully made and seemingly unplanned.
Diljit Dosanjh absorbs Amar Singh Chamkila’s difficult life and suffering and distills it into his nuanced portrayal, portraying an artist who lived and died by his convictions, according to Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express, who gave the movie a 3 star from 5 star.
On the other hand, Scroll.in’s Nandini Ramnath described it as a choppy narrative that makes an overly ambitious attempt to add flair to a straightforward plot.
References
- Wikipedia contributors. (2025c, March 18). Amar Singh Chamkila (film). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amar_Singh_Chamkila_(film)
- Amar Singh Chamkila (2024) ⭐ 7.8 | Biography, Drama, Music. (2024, April 12). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26658272/
