Imtiaz Ali’s biopic of the late Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila, featuring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, has recently been released on Netflix. The film has sparked significant interest and curiosity among viewers about Chamkila and his second wife, Amarjot.
However, unlike typical biopics that often portray their subjects in a glorified light, Imtiaz chose not to idealize Chamkila’s life due to his flaws.
Imtiaz Ali On Not Glorifying Late Singer’s Character
Speaking to Mid-Day, Imtiaz Ali said: “I never thought I would make a biopic. However, in Chamkila’s story, there were so many things I felt I should address since they’ve been hidden from the audience. However, when depicting someone’s life, you should have the liberty — not to change the facts, but to represent all aspects of them.”
“If you don’t show the mistakes they made, then what’s the point of glorifying them? I do not like those biopics that endlessly glorify the person they are based on. That becomes very boring.”
He added: “Chamkila is a case in point as there was this kind of dual response from the audience towards him. I felt that I had to present the human side of Chamkila. I did not set out to make him come across as this neat and clean person, which he was not. This is also because I knew a few intrinsic good qualities of him.”
“I was very sure of them. He didn’t come across as a star; but rather as a servant of the masses. He’s a deeply humble man, coming from the most disadvantaged background. He never threw a tantrum. He always agreed to everything that anyone asked him to do. And that’s how he lost his life because he couldn’t say no to the audience. He was that kind of guy and we understand. He has flaws,”
Further, Imtiaz Ali also highlighted the importance of portraying Chamkila’s flaws in the biopic. He emphasized that retaining his flaws was crucial to ensure that the audience could relate to him authentically. He said:
“Sometimes it is the flaws and irregularities in a character that endear them to the audience. Then they know that this guy is human, thus enabling them to relate to and root for them.”
