Peepingmoon.com was the first to reveal that Imtiaz Ali has signed Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh to play the lead in his next film, Chamkila. Sidelining the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Kartik Aaryan, who were the earlier frontrunners for this movie, Diljit bagged the lead role in this biopic of late Punjabi folk singer Amar Singh Chamkila. Parineeti Chopra was later brought on board to play Chamkila's wife Amarjot Kaur, while A.R. Rahman joined it as the music director, continuing his association with Imtiaz after the successful musical blockbusters Rockstar, Highway, and Tamasha.
As the film is nearing completion of its shooting, Peepingmoon.com has learned that Chamkila will not release in theatres. Industry sources have informed us that Imtiaz Ali's biographical drama will directly release on Netflix, bypassing the theatrical window. "Imtiaz Ali has previously collaborated with Netflix on the crime drama series, She, and Chamkila further carry forward their association. It's not that this film was originally planned for theatrical release and was later sold to OTT. It was always meant to be a Netflix original. It's one of the most exciting projects coming out of Netflix this year, and the streaming platform intends to make the announcement with great pomp later this month or in early April," a source close to the development informed us.
This film was my meditation .. #Chamkila #FilmWrap #Punjab pic.twitter.com/eGGOGjZOha
— Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) March 7, 2023
Chamkila is Imtiaz Ali's passion project, which he has been working on since 2019. The filmmaker, known for depicting complex and complicated relationships in films such as Rockstar, Tamasha, and Jab Harry Met Sejal, has obtained permission from Chamkila's family to translate his life story onto celluloid. The biopic is said to be a blend of facts and fiction and focuses on his true love, controversial life, and shocking assassination, which still remains an unresolved case. The film has also been billed as a musical extravaganza featuring over a dozen songs, rendered and performed live by the lead actors, Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra.
Amar Singh Chamkila, for those unaware, is regarded as one of the best live stage performers that Punjab has ever produced. Known for his harsh but truthful commentary on society, he rose to fame in the ‘80s with his songs that spoke of extramarital relationships, coming-of-age, drinking, drug use, and the patriarchal mindset of Punjabi men, thus reflecting the realities of the state. His songs made him as much of a controversial figure as they earned him overnight fame. Chamkila and his wife Amarjot were brutally gunned down, along with two members of his band, in Punjab’s Mehsampur on March 8, 1988. His assassination sparked a frenzy of controversy and speculation, but no one was ever arrested in connection with the shooting, and the case was never solved.
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