Imtiaz Ali Explains Why Diljit Dosanjh Was His First Choice For Amar Singh Chamkila

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali recently shared the reason behind casting Punjabi music sensation Diljit Dosanjh in his streaming hit ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’.

‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ is a biographical drama about the life of the iconic musician Amar Singh Chamkila.

Source : Diljit Dosanjh/Instagram.

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali shared the reason behind casting Punjabi music sensation Diljit Dosanjh in his streaming hit ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’. Speaking on Komal Nahta's ‘Game Changers’ podcast, Ali explained that Diljit's experience as a live performer made him the perfect choice for the role, particularly for the film's high-energy musical sequences.

Imtiaz Ali shares reason behind casting Diljit Dosanjh as Chamkila

Ali spoke about how he carefully crafted the musical scenes, especially those featuring songs sung by Diljit and Parineeti Chopra. He emphasized his inspiration from live performances, noting that the original Chamkila songs, often found on YouTube, were more than just recordings—they were infused with the spontaneity and energy of live performances.

Ali elaborated, “When I used to watch Chamkila's videos, which you can still find on YouTube, Chamkila and Amar Jyot's videos, because they used to sing and also speak in between the songs. Because they are singers, they’re singing or they said something in between or changed the singing style a little, which is the joy of a live performance. And a recorded performance is a fixed thing. But I wanted to shoot a live performance."

Ali further explained why Diljit was the ideal fit: "I wanted Diljit Dosanjh in this film because he is a live performer. He knows that when you're singing live with an audience, the kind of energy that comes, you change it accordingly. And he has done such a fabulous job. Because he not only made the live performances live but also made it live how Chamkila used to do it.”

Imtiaz Ali projects

‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ is a biographical drama about the life of the iconic musician Amar Singh Chamkila. The Game Changers podcast, hosted by Komal Nahta, is available for streaming on YouTube.

Imtiaz Ali’s latest project is a short film titled ‘Jules’, featured in the anthology ‘My Melbourne’. The anthology comprises four stories about identity and belonging, inspired by true events in Melbourne, Australia. The film explores themes of diversity, sexuality, gender, disability, and race, with each segment directed by notable Indian filmmakers, including Onir, Rima Das, Imtiaz Ali, and Kabir Khan.