Diljit Dosanjh is unstoppable. After giving us chartbuster songs, he is now winning hearts as Amar Singh Chamkila

Sheetal

Diljit Dosanjh is on a high! Who wouldn’t be? The singer-actor rules the roost with his slew of musical hits like Naina, Magic and Khutti, and now the Netflix movie Amar Singh Chamkila adds another feather to his cap. His concert in Mumbai on Saturday night was attended by almost all celebs from the Hindi film industry. That speaks of Diljit’s phenomenal stardom. He is the man who could make Ed Sheeran sing in Punjabi!

First thing first. Now that he has got rave reviews for playing the titular role in Amar Singh Chamkila, which is based on celebrated and controversial singer by the same name, we ask him what were the challenges in playing Chamkila as the role required him not just act but also perform live on the sets? He explains, “Playing a singer on screen may sound easy considering that I am a singer myself. But it was not so. When I do stage shows, I only sing, not act. Similarly, when I act on screen, I don’t sing. But to play the singer in this film, I had to perform on stage. It was a challenge to remember the dialogues as well as the lyrics. So, it was indeed difficult to be in the character while performing on stage. But it was altogether a different experience, unforgettable in many ways.”

Director Imtiaz Ali incorporated the live footage of stage performances in the film rather than recording those songs later in a recording studio, which is the standard procedure in filmmaking. In Ali’s viewpoint, Chamkila is an eternal love story between a musician and his music.

Diljit too agrees with it and feels that Ali has been able to capture the journey and passion of Chamkila. “This is a film for music lovers. The film will bring you closer to music,” he says.

Happy to have made his mark on OTT, first with Jogi and now with Amar Singh Chamkila, he is comfortable with all mediums, but it’s the infectious energy of the live audience that brings the best out of him. Diljit says, “Performing live will always remain my favourite. Having said that, it doesn’t mean acting or recording music is any less interesting. And as for the challenges, I do not find anything difficult as this is the path I chose voluntarily.”

But then, for Diljit, challenges are needed for one to progress in life. “In my opinion, you won’t be able to enjoy the journey if there are no challenges. It’s a part of every profession and one has to work around them to enjoy the creative process.”