Mehsampur Director Says He Met Amar Singh Chamkila’s ‘Killer’, Got Insights Into Motivations Behind The Murder

Diljit Dosanjh starrer film ‘Chamkila’, based on the tragic death of legendary Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila, has piqued viewers’ interest in the story of the ‘Elvis of Punjab’. 

New Delhi: Diljit Dosanjh starrer film ‘Chamkila’, directed by Imtiaz Ali, has impressed the audience. The Netflix film, based on the tragic death of legendary Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila, has piqued viewers’ interest in the story of the ‘Elvis of Punjab’. 

Amar Singh Chamkila and his singer-wife, Amarjot Kaur, were killed on March 8, 1988. Their death is still shrouded with mystery and the identity of their killers remains mostly unknown. However, director Kabir Singh Chowdhry, who helmed the film ‘Mehsampur’, claims that he has met one of the killers. Chowdhry also said he got to know about some potential motives behind Amar Singh Chamkila's murder.

Mehsampur director on 'killer' of Amar Singh Chamkila

In an interview with Hindustan Times, the director revealed that he happened to meet one of the people who was allegedly involved in the assassination of Amar Singh Chamkila while conducting his research. 

“Spending time on the ground in Punjab pursuing Chamkila’s story, I inevitably crossed paths with one of Chamkila's killers who is still alive (it is all hearsay). While I did get some insight into the motivations behind the act, I wouldn't put too much weight on it. The atmosphere in Punjab during those days was chaotic and lawless, where hiring guns for nefarious purposes was not uncommon. It was a time when personal vendettas were settled with violence, and individuals resorted to hiring others to carry out their dirty work,” the director told the publication.

“In such a volatile environment, retribution and reasoning often took a backseat to the ruthless pursuit of power and control. So whether it was professional jealousy, discriminatory hatred towards his caste, conjuring up of a puritanical narrative against his style of music and other unknown reasons, is yet to be fearlessly uncovered,” he added.

Amar Singh Chamkila unsolved murder

The filmmaker claimed there are a "variety of reasons” that have contributed to the unsolved murder of Chamkila. 

“One possible reason could be the complexity of the case, with multiple potential motives and suspects involved. Additionally, the passage of time may have made it more difficult for investigators to gather sufficient evidence or witness testimony. It's also possible that there were political or societal pressures at play, hindering the investigation. Overall, the combination of these factors may have contributed to the mystery surrounding Chamkila's murder remaining unsolved,” he said.