The actor has been receiving enormous love for his performance in 'Amar Singh Chamkila'.
Diljit Dosanjh not only looks perfectly convincing as Amar Singh Chamkila but he also effortlessly brings forth the rebellious attitude of the late singer. Through his performance, he makes us understand the philosophy of Chamkila, taking us through his journey from being a nobody to reigning supreme in Punjab's music scene. And it's not just the acting part that he excels in; the way he sings (mostly live on set) hits the right chords in our hearts as well.
(Credit: diljitdosanjh)
Well, Dosanjh is the man of the moment as everyone is in awe of his extraordinary performance in Imtiaz Ali's 'Amar Singh Chamkila'. The film, too, has been receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. As the renowned journalist and critic Sukanya Verma wrote in her review, "Diljit Dosanjh's switch in singing style as he smoothly assumes Amar Singh Chamkila's vocal persona highlights the brilliance of his artistry."
(Credit: netflix_in)
However, as the world celebrates the film and Diljit Dosanjh's performance in it, we share an interesting fact that you didn't know.
Yes, you read it right! 'Amar Singh Chamkila' is not the first time Dosanjh has played the late Punjabi singer. In 2023, he played the same role in Amberdeep Singh's directorial 'Jodi'.
(Credit: lifeofpunjabiofficial)
The difference is that 'Jodi' was a fictional take on the life of Chamkila, and Dosanjh's character Amar Singh Sitara was loosely based on Chamkila. In that film, Nimrat Khaira played Kamaljot; a character inspired by Chamkila's partner Amarjot.
(Credit: _nimratkhairaofficial)
Besides Dosanjh and Khaira, it also starred Hardeep Gill, Harsimran, Drishtii Garewal, and Ravinder Mand among others.
Amberdeep Singh started working on 'Jodi' in 2011 and announced the film in December 2018. Diljit Dosanjh came on board as the lead actor in 2019, and he also started working on its music simultaneously.
(Credit: Rhythm Boyz)
The film was scheduled to be released on 26 June 2020 but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was finally released on 5 May 2023.
In one of his recent interviews, Dosanjh revealed he was initially skeptical about playing Chamkila in the Imtiaz Ali directorial. He further added that he was worried about Imtiaz suing him for making 'Jodi'.
A still from ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’
In his words, "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.”
Diljit Dosanjh and Imtiaz Ali on the set of ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’
"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.’”
Well, 'Amar Singh Chamkila' proves just how brilliant Diljit Dosanjh is as an actor. We hope he acts more often along the way.
