Chamkila: Brings the duality of the hypocritical society both loving and hating songs brimming with sexually explicit lines

Rating: 4/5 stars

"Chamkila'' immerses viewers in the compelling real-life narrative of Amar Singh Chamkila, the legendary Punjabi vocalist who rose to fame as the pop sensation in the 80s. The film delves into the heartbreaking tragedy that befell Chamkila and his equally gifted wife, Amarjot, as they were ruthlessly gunned down by masked assailants in Mehaspur, Punjab, in 1988. Diljit Dosanjh brings to life the character of Amar Singh Chamkila, portraying the journey of an artist who remained true to his principles until the very end.

Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra play the lead roles of Chamkila and Amarjot, through this movie the director Imtiaz Ali takes a deep dive into a tragedy seeped in moral policing, caste discrimination, societal bullying and prejudice. The screenplay's dynamic back-and-forth narrative grips the audience, offering a compelling experience and is filled with songs throughout. 

The film beautifully portrays the power and influence of art on audiences, highlighting the necessity of art even in the most depressing times. The movie illustrates music as a medium for expressing inner rational thoughts, which the singer used as his advantage to connect with the audience. It shows the hypocrisy of the society listening to these sexually charged verses and yet wanting the need to listen to these songs themselves. Chamkila isn't heroic per se but chooses not to get bullied into submission by the nomenclature of the society. 

It was a refreshing movie focusing whose very presence becomes a threat to gatekeepers of religion, and ruling dispensations. Punjab is considered as a state of excess be it love, passion or control. He rose the boundaries to occupy a rare space: as a performer, entertainer, storyteller, and symbol of resistance against oppression, alternately scorned and admired. Chamkila, dubbed the ‘Elvis of Punjab’ who challenged the tight barriers of caste and class, which keeps people in their place for the rest of their lives.

Most times biopics depict the protagonist in a positive manner but the film doesn’t romanticize the singer's life and yet gives viewers several chances to question his integrity. In the end is a story about a boy wanting to make it big and boy did he make it big!