Imtiaz Ali has revealed that he was worried about a reaction from the first wife of Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila at the film screening.
In an interview, the director said that he was concerned about how the film would be received by the close ones of the slain singer, especially his first wife, an Indian media outlet reported.
“Chamkila’s family was at the screening. His first wife Gurmail Kaur was there. Amarjot and Chamkila’s son Jaiman Chamkila was there. Chamkila’s daughters were also there. When I was watching the film, his first wife was sitting right next to me and I was thinking that there are some sensitive scenes in the film, should I just pull back or go back before she attacks me or something like that?” Imtiaz Ali added.
However, he said that Kaur hugged him following the conclusion of the movie.
Read more: Amar Singh Chamkila: A movie about the Elvis of Punjab
“Everybody was so happy with the way that Chamkila was portrayed because we were hoping that they like it,” the Amar Singh Chamkila director said.
According to Ali, he has not whitewashed the late singer in his movie and showed the character as he was.
“He has done a lot of things that can be judged but I let it be like that in the film and it’s actually credit to the family that they understood it,” he said.
Based on the real-life story of Amar Singh Chamkila and his wife Amarjot, the film cast includes Diljit Dosanjh as Chamkila while Parineeti Chopra played the role of his wife Amarjot.
The couple was assassinated in 1988 when they arrived at a traditional Akhara (Event) to perform. As soon as they left the car, they both got shot along with two other members of their crew.
The assassination was a clear response to Amar Singh Chamkila’s obsession with performing highly sexual and objectifying Punjabi songs despite threats from the extremists.
