Amar Singh Chamkila tells the story of the titular singer’s rise to fame and controversy as his brash and risqué discography delights and inspires criticism all over Punjab during volatile times. The film is streaming on Netflix.
Story
Dhani Ram aka Amar Singh aka Chamkila is a singer, songwriter, and musician. After knitting socks in a factory and working for a singer, he goes solo and soon becomes the most-selling artist in Punjab.
His brash discography and live shows draw in huge crowds and fans who want to tune in and shake a leg to his colorful, sexually explicit tracks.
Pairing up with his duet partner, Amarjot aka Babbi, the singer breaks all previous records in both the shows and the record sales.
However, with a meteoric rise in success, comes a barrage of criticism from fundamentalists, which is used by those envious of Chamkila’s success to destroy him.
He makes a radical pivot in his discography and still breaks all records. However, his fans keep requesting his raunchy songs and he keeps obliging.
The fundamentalists take note and warn him, as do other opportunists, leading to Chamkila finally abandoning all worries and continuing his work with his wife.
He and his wife have to ultimately pay the price for pursuing their passion and art with their lives, leaving behind a historic legacy and a mirror for a blind society.
Performances
Diljit Dosanjh takes command of the character and wears him like a skin. He brings his charm and also douses this real-life icon’s portrait with authenticity and sincerity.
Parineeti Chopra is as adorable, fierce, playful, quirky, and charming as Amarjot. She is held back only by the lack of material she is given to work with.
Positives
A shocking, subversive opening grabs attention right out of the gates. It works best to have had the inevitable grimness of the story be revealed beforehand rather than leading up to it.
The photoshoot scenes are hilarious containing a great bit of physical comedy with ironically no movements at all. They work also because they’re great examples of observational comedy.
In a great musical sequence, the film showcases that even if discreetly, women have been relishing the risqué songs and expressions that otherwise have been considered such great taboos.
Sexual innuendos and expressions of sexual desires aren’t gendered, and it’s a lot of fun when women sort of take over the sexually frivolous art form during the aforementioned sequence.
Negatives
The animated sequences can be a bit distracting and feel rather unnecessary when they could’ve easily been represented in the live-action format, which would be way more engaging and tonally consistent.
Verdict
Amar Singh Chamkila is a lively and enthralling biographical account of a singular icon in the Punjabi music industry whose work has outlived him for decades and continues to do so while inspiring many new artists.
The frenetic pace and solid performances across the board help lend an explosive quality to the narrative and keep things exciting even as the conclusion is known to everyone.
Amar Singh Chamkila
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Date Created: 2024-04-12 12:30
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