Imtiaz Ali Shares Why He Was Anxious To Meet Former Punjab Cop At Chamkila Premiere

Imtiaz Ali says a former police officer’s emotional reaction to Amar Singh Chamkila was the most meaningful compliment he received. The film, starring Diljit Dosanjh, is now Emmy-nominated.

Imtiaz Ali feared criticism from a retired Punjab cop during the Amar Singh Chamkila premiere — but was left surprised by his heartfelt compliment.

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Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, whose Netflix biopic “Amar Singh Chamkila” has earned a nomination at the prestigious International Emmy Awards, has opened up about the biggest compliment he has received for the film that probably is the biggest achievement for him over the movie.

Speaking about it, Imtiaz told IANS, “One of the people at the movie's premiere was Mr Benz, a very elderly gentleman. He used to be the Superintendent of Police in Ropar in Punjab during the 80s when all the trouble was happening. And, you know, I was a bit nervous to meet him after the film because he could have just turned around and told me that this is not the right portrayal of those times and criticised it."

He continued "It would have been so humiliating as a filmmaker for me. But I was overwhelmed when he said that it really took him back to those times of the 80s. He even asked, "How did we know the exact nuances that happened in Punjab during the 80s?" – "That, for me, was a huge compliment!"

The filmmaker also recalled how the premiere of "Amar Singh Chamkila" itself was a special experience.

“When we were shooting at Liberty Cinema, which is an old theatre in Bombay, I had this plan that we should have the premiere in a theatre like that. But I was told it was maybe not so good for marketing; that is why people don’t do premieres old style. But for this film, I insisted on doing it. So Diljit was like, 'I will'. I'll invest half the money,” quipped Ali.

Adding to it he said “Thankfully, Monika (Shergill) bought into this and agreed to the old-fashioned premiere. It was an absolutely charming event. People came all the way despite so much traffic and not-so-good conditions that day. It was truly very, very special.”

For the uninitiated, "Amar Singh Chamkila", directed by Imtiaz Ali, stars Diljit Dosanjh as the iconic Punjabi singer and Parineeti Chopra as Amarjot Kaur. The music has been directed by A. R. Rahman, while the lyrics have been penned by Irshad Kamli.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline ,no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)