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Imtiaz Ali on importance of showing Amar Singh Chamkila's cast in film; 'he lost his life because he couldn’t say no to anybody'
Amar Singh Chamkila starring Parineeti Chopra and Diljit Dosanjh has been receiving praise since it was released. Director Imtiaz Ali discussed the cast issues that they focused on in the film.
The film Amar Singh Chamkila is a biopic on the life of the Punjabi singer of the same name. Imtiaz Ali's directorial has been receiving a lot of love and attention and the lead actors Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra were praised for their performances. With this film, the director aptly drew attention to Chamkila’s struggle as a Dalit Sikh.
In a recent interview, Imtiaz opened up on why it was important to discuss Chamkila's caste and his coming from a ‘lesser privileged’ class and its disadvantages.
Imtiaz Ali focuses on Amar Singh Chamkila's caste in film
During an interview with Mid-Day India, Imtiaz Ali explained the importance of showing the issues of caste and class in Amar Singh Chamkila's film.
He said that people who live in cities and are disconnected from the masses living in villages (where casteism is prevalent). They are de-recognising the larger part of our country. "What moves them, what their problems and disadvantages are, and what is important to them needs to be spoken about. How can we not look at them? Are we going to try and fool ourselves by believing that everyone in our country sits in places like this and speaks English? The answer is no!” he said.
Calling Chamkila a deeply humble man who never throws tantrums, Ali continued that the slain singer comes from the most disadvantaged background. "He is always agreeing to do what everyone asks him to do and that’s he how he lost his life because he couldn’t say no to anybody,” Imtiaz added.
Imtiaz Ali makes sure Amar Singh Chamkila film never turns out to be bold
While focusing on prejudices like caste, class, and inequality, the filmmaker made sure not to turn the film Amar Singh Chamkila into a “bold film.” He said that he is happy that the audience noticed that there is mention of the disadvantaged background that Chamkila came from.
"If I am making a film about his life, I have to show his biggest disadvantage. People are judgmental about class and race and these kinds of things. To denounce it you must not pretend that it doesn’t exist (sic),” he explained.
Imtiaz Ali clarifies why he didn’t glorify Amar Singh Chamkila
In another interview with the same portal, Ali revealed that he never wanted to make it a biopic. However, in Chamkila’s story, there were so many things to say that he felt he should address the things that had been hidden from the audience.
He added, “When depicting someone’s life, you should have the liberty not to change the facts but to represent all aspects of them. If you don’t show the mistakes they made, then what’s the point of glorifying them?”
He also very clearly stated that he wanted to tell the human side of the iconic singer, which comes with flaws and negative points. “I did not set out to make him come across as this neat and clean person, which he was not. This is also because I knew a few intrinsic good qualities of him. He has flaws.”
Imtiaz further added, “Sometimes it is the flaws and irregularities in a character that endear them to the audience. Then they know that this guy is human, thus enabling them to relate to and root for them.”
Meanwhile, Amar Singh Chamkila is currently streaming on Netflix.
ALSO READ: Amar Singh Chamkila star Parineeti Chopra opens up on lobbying in Bollywood; says 'My PR game sucks'
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