When Diljit Dosanjh got emotional because of Imtiaz Ali

Diljit Dosanjh in and as Amar Singh Chamkila, the film directed by Imtiaz Ali will release on Netflix on April 12. (Image courtesy Netflix)

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has made many movies which have touched an emotional chord with the audience. His forthcoming movie Amar Singh Chamkila, based on the life of the popular Punjabi singer, is a moving account of the journey of the stage performer who was killed at the age of 27. Portraying his life onscreen is none other than one of the most popular Punjabi singers and actors of our times – Diljit Dosanjh.

The filmmaker and the cast and crew of the film including Dosanjh, Parineeti Chopra and musician AR Rahman, unveiled the trailer of the Netflix film in front of the media and fans on Thursday. Talking about Dosanjh’s performance in the film, Ali said that it struck him a few days ago that while the actor and singer is such a huge star, he was only thinking of himself as Chamkila during the shoot. “It was because of him that even I and the crew felt he is Chamkila; that Diljit is not there and this is real. This struck me later and that is what makes it so special,” he said. Looking directly at Dosanjh, the director told him that while the former has achieved a lot in his life, this is just the beginning. No wonder, the actor had tears of gratitude in his eyes which he tried to wipe away discreetly.

Earlier, Ali had spoken about how Dosanjh was the first actor who came to their mind while discussing the options but somehow, they thought he wouldn't do the film. “When I called him, I thought we would discuss the film for five minutes and fix up another time to speak properly but we ended up speaking for almost an hour,” he said. On his part, Dosanjh said that he was waiting to be offered this role. “I did not even dream of working with Imtiaz sir; I didn’t think it was possible. All the credit for this happening in my life is because of Chamkila. If his story was not there, I would never have been the lead in his story,” he shared.