Actor-singer Gippy Grewal expressed satisfaction with Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Amar Singh Chamkila,’ which premiered on OTT platforms recently. In a recent interview, Gippy disclosed that he had attended Chamkila’s performances as a youth and noted that all renowned singers from Punjab have performed Chamkila’s songs live at some stage.
In an interview with Film Companion, Gippy lauded Imtiaz’s casting decisions and expressed his admiration for the film.
Gippy emphasized that anyone claiming otherwise is being dishonest, as he and Diljit, alongside other renowned Punjabi artists, have performed Chamkila’s songs live. He admitted to personally recording a few of Chamkila’s tracks.
Gippy reminisced about his childhood, recalling that his initial visit to Chamkila’s akhada marked his first exposure to such events. He vividly remembered Chamkila performing his debut devotional song, ‘Baba Tera Nankana,’ even before its official release, and introducing songwriter ‘Swaran Sivia’ to the audience during that same event.
As depicted in the film, Chamkila began singing religious songs after receiving warnings and threats from extremist groups. Despite criticism of his earlier songs for their perceived vulgarity, Chamkila’s transition to devotional music proved to be immensely successful.
Presently, Gippy is actively promoting ‘Shinda Shinda No Papa,’ his upcoming film where he shares the screen with his son, Shinda Grewal.
‘Amar Singh Chamkila‘ delves into the real-life story of a Punjabi musician who, through his songs, emerged from poverty to fame in the 1980s, evoking both adoration and controversy before his premature death at 27. Parineeti Chopra portrays Chamkila’s wife, while Diljit Dosanjh takes on the role of Chamkila himself.
