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Diljit Dosanjh ‘was not a big star’ when Imtiaz Ali signed him for Amar Singh Chamkila; director says ‘He had not done Coachella’
Imtiaz Ali opened up about the fame and love that Diljit Dosanjh received by starring in the titular role in his movie Amar Singh Chamkila. The filmmaker said he wasn't a huge star when he was signed.
Diljit Dosanjh has today become a global sensation who has his admirers living in every corner of the world. While he has been taking over the music industry by storm, the celebrity has also proved his mettle as a talented actor in the Punjabi and Hindi film industry. Earlier this year, he starred with Parineeti Chopra in Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila and broke the box office. But in an interview, the filmmaker revealed that when he signed the actor to play the lead in his movie, he wasn’t as successful as he is today.
During a conversation with Mid-Day India on YouTube, Imtiaz Ali spoke about Diljit Dosanjh and the fame that followed him after he starred in the filmmaker’s Amar Singh Chamkila in the titular role. While talking to the host, Ali revealed that when the team started working on the film, Diljit was not a big star. “He had not done Coachella when we signed with him,” he said adding that it happened simultaneously.
Imtiaz also stated that an actor’s market value can be different at the time of concluding the film and by the time the movie released. That’s what happened with the Punjabi sensation who became a huge star. The writer-director also elaborated that Dosanjh wasn’t a “big tested star” for the Hindi film industry. When Ali cast him, people enquired what would be the opening of this movie as no one could speculate what the Crew actor could fetch.
But since the filmmaker watched his movies Udta Punjab and Phillauri, he knew that the artist was a very good actor and a Punjabi pop star too. Additionally, Diljit knew about the OG Amar Singh Chamkila more than him. In fact, instead of Ali narrating anything to him, Diljit narrated it to the filmmaker.
During an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, the Jab We Met director admitted that he wasn’t sure about bringing Diljit on board. He told us, “I wasn’t sure whether it’s gonna work out with Diljit for some reason. I thought he might not be able to do it, etc. So, I didn’t approach him in the beginning, but it’s a little later that I did, the moment I spoke to him, it was just like a different chapter, and now it’s a sure shot thing, and now I really can’t imagine anybody else doing it.”
Amar Singh Chamkila became a massive hit with the audience dubbing it as Imtiaz Ali’s comeback.
