At the Next on Netflix event in Mumbai on Thursday, Diljit Dosanjh spoke about his upcoming film Amar Singh Chamkila, directed by Imtiaz Ali. The singer-actor revealed that he was worried about Imtiaz suing him for making Jodi (2023) because the film is a fictionalised take on Amar Singh Chamkila. Diljit also shared that initially, before meeting the director, he was of the opinion that a film on the legendary Punjabi singer “could not be made in Hindi”.
He said, “I thought I knew a lot about Chamkila before meeting him (Imtiaz Ali). When I got to know that a Bollywood film is being made on Chamkila, I thought what (kind) of film will they make. We have made a fictional film Jodi, as we didn’t have the rights. We also wondered how they would make Punjabi songs in Hindi as we can’t recreate it, as we had already made it.”
“Then after we made the film, COVID-19 happened and the film (Jodi) didn’t get released. I got a call from Imtiaz sir. I thought he would sue us, as he had the rights (to Chamkila’s story). We didn’t have it. But he said that he wanted to cast me in the film (Amar Singh Chamkila). I told him, ‘We already have the story. If you still think that you want to make a film with me, then we will see.’”
Also Read | Diljit Dosanjh says though he is from Punjab, Imtiaz Ali knows more about Amar Singh Chamkila: ‘He is very serious’
Diljit Dosanjh then shared how he was convinced to do the film with Imtiaz Ali because his perspective was different from the film he had made. He said, “When I heard his perspective, it was completely different. It was a film about Chamkila. I felt I didn’t know Chamkila. When I heard the songs of Chamkila, I was amazed, as we had a lyricist, singer, and a legend (AR Rahman). However, Chamkila would himself write the song, compose the tunes and would sing it as well. He was that big an artiste. It was a big thing for us that his story was being told in such a big manner. When sir offered me the film, I surrendered to his vision.”
“I was wondering how they will do the music of the film, but when you have AR Rahman, Mohit Chauhan and Irshad (Kamil) ji then (it’s a great thing). The songs of Chamkila are in Punjabi, but there are other songs being played in the background which are in Hindi.”
Amar Singh Chamkila will stream on Netflix from April 12.
Click for more updates and latest Bollywood news along with Entertainment updates. Also get latest news and top headlines from India and around the world at The Indian Express.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
