For the longest time we’ve heard that music transcends everything; it has no language, no borders, no religion, no discrimination. Yet, the life story of slain Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila is a complete contrast to this age-old belief. And, this story is brought to life by none other than Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in Imtiaz Ali’s musical, Amar Singh Chamkila.
Netflix’s latest release Amar Singh Chamkila is an impactful memoir of the Punjabi singer whose boon and bane was what he knew best—singing suggestive, yet fluent songs which were more like commentaries on sex, extramarital affairs, alcohol and drug use in village life.
Amar Singh Chamkila: What Works in Diljit & Parineeti Starrer
Sunein saare Chamkila.. Maane koi na🎤
Amar Singh Chamkila, TRAILER OUT TOMORROW, only on Netflix pic.twitter.com/0LbQtMQroa— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) March 27, 2024
Imtiaz and his co-writer Sajid Ali create this world of the late 70s and early 80s quite flawlessly. Chamkila on Netflix begins from the catastrophe that struck Amarjot played by Parineeti Chopra & Chamkila when they were casually on their way to an ‘akhada’ and then, goes into flashback of their glorious days.
Also Read: Why Diljit Dosanjh At Coachella Is A Proud Moment: The G.O.A.T Walked So Indian Artists Could Run!
Imtiaz manages to smoothly create the era of Chamkila quite effortlessly on screen. The screenplay oscillates between Chamkila’s glorious life and the mistreatment he gets after being gunned down while his close aide narrates his tale to a Punjab Police officer, who comes off as a hater but ends up surprising everyone towards the end.
Diljit Dosanjh & Parineeti Chopra Put On Their Best
What really reels you in is how a simple, lower caste man manages to find what people love and makes it his passion to give them exactly that—suggestive songs about taboo things in the village life. His struggle from being a proxy singer for a famous Punjabi singer to becoming the ‘Elvis of Punjab’ is impressively brought to life by Diljit. Not even once do we see Diljit and it’s Chamkila all the way that shines through and through. In one crucial scene when Diljit as Chamkila deals with a middleman manager who refuses to pay him more money and reminds him of his ‘aukaat’ and caste, we get to see his frustration yet resolve to make his name no matter what happens.
Amar Singh Chamkila on @netflix Now pic.twitter.com/BZDPB8gB5Q
— DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) April 12, 2024
Diljit completely owns the part and manages to leave you impressed. In the later half, when Chamkila has sold out shows in Canada, and he realises how big he has become, even bigger than his idol Amitabh Bachchan, we see him realise the fickleness of it all. While everyone remembers Chamkila for his suggestive songs, few know that even his devotional albums became bestsellers. Imtiaz manages to bring out Diljit’s best and the actor truly impresses.
Parineeti, on the other hand, as Chamkila’s singing partner-turned-wife Amarjot, has given an outstanding performance. She has managed to not only bring out the innocence of a quiet village girl reading ‘Chitta Lahu’, but also of a secret fangirl totally smitten by Chamkila. Even in scenes where Parineeti hardly has a dialogue, she expresses with her face and eyes the love Amarjot may have had for Chamkila. She’s phenomenal all throughout, but truly shines when she’s on stage singing with Chamkila and enthralling the audience. She hits the high notes like Amarjot so effortlessly and manages to leave you in awe. In one scene, when she finds out that Chamkila was already married when he tied the knot with her too, we see her pull off an impressive confrontational scene. Overall, it wouldn’t be wrong to say Parineeti is back and how! Kudos!
AMAR SINGH CHAMKILA @NetflixIndia @netflix pic.twitter.com/46JRBvAgi9
— DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) March 28, 2024
Supporting actor Anjum Batra as Tiki is extremely good. His relationship with Chamkila right from when he’s a nobody evokes laughter, frustration, anger, and sadness in equal proportions. Rahul Mittra as DSP Bhatti comes off as sincere.
Amar Singh Chamkila Review: AR Rahman’s Music Is The Showstopper
The music of Chamkila is another important character that takes the story of the revered yet reviled singer forward. AR Rahman delivers six unbelievably good songs that leave you entertained. They fit perfectly into the story and never feel forced. Voices of Mohit Chauhan, Alka Yagnik, Yashika Sikka and others are refreshing and lyrics by Irshad Kamil hit straight home to bring out Chamkila’s ironical rise and fall. My most favourites are Ishq Mitaye where Chamkila is equated to Punjab and Naram Kaalja where women from all stratas of society are expressing their desires freely talking about men as ‘aish ka samaan’. Amazing job done, Rahman sir!
Amar Singh Chamkila Review: What Doesn’t Work
But, despite all the good, Chamkila suffers from a few flaws which when viewed in totality don’t hold much value thanks to phenomenal performances by Diljit and Parineeti. The parts where Chamkila’s rise to being a ‘Kotha Dhau Kalakaar’ are shown, feel rushed. The portion of the Punjab insurgency and 1984 riots, when everyone turned to Chamkila for entertainment and distraction, lacked depth. It could have been brought about in a better way. But, then Diljit’s performance makes you overlook these few flaws.
Our Parting Thoughts
Overall, for me, Amar Singh Chamkila on Netflix is a near perfect ode to a revered yet reviled singer who unfortunately became a part of the ‘27 club.’ Imtiaz finally has found his way back to his old form as a filmmaker with this one. On top of the regular shots in the film, the portions that are animated are interesting and intriguing enough to hold your attention. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this film and wouldn’t mind watching it again. You can watch it too on Netflix!
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