Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has now revealed why he did not praise Amar Singh Chamkila in his recently released biopic, as well as what influenced his start in the biopic genre.

Imtiaz Ali is riding high after his newly released film Amar Singh Chamkila received a resoundingly good response from both viewers and critics. Amar Singh Chamkila, a well-known Punjabi musician, was shot dead in 1988 along with his wife and two other band members. Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra play the key roles in this biographical film.

According to movies and previous media, Chamkila’s double-meaning songs, which were unpopular with some segments of society, were the reason behind his assassination. The singer’s raw and below-the-belt songs were also included in Imtiaz’s film. 

Why did Imtiaz Ali Amar Singh not glorify Chamkila in his biopic?

Ali, who made his biopic debut with this one, said he never imagined he would direct a biopic. What, therefore, made Amar Singh Chamkila unique? Imtiaz said to Midday: “In Chamkila’s story, there were so many things I felt I should address since they’ve been hidden from the audience. However, 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?”

Imtiaz Ali went on to say that he finds it “extremely boring” when biopics continuously exalt the subject of their story. Since Chamkila was a vocalist who experienced both love and hate in equal measure, Imtiaz felt compelled to show Chamkila’s humanity. He continued, “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.”

According to Imtiaz, Chamkila would not have been relatable if he had exalted himself. Furthermore, he said: “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.” Amar Singh Chamkila is available to stream on Netflix.