"I thought Diljit won't be able to do because…": Imtiaz Ali on actor's portrayal of 'Amar Singh Chamkila' post Emmy nominations

New Delhi [India], September 26 (ANI): Diljit Dosanjh has secured an International Emmy Award nomination in the category of Best Actor for his performance in the Imtiaz Ali directorial ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’.

He portrayed the role of Amar Singh Chamkila in this biographical drama. Parineeti Chopra also stars in the lead role in the movie.

While talking to ANI, Imtiaz Ali shared his initial reaction to casting Diljit Dosanjh in the role of Amar Singh Chamkila in the biographical drama.

He admitted that he was unsure whether Diljit could portray the role of the Punjabi folk singer due to his long hair, as the character required short hair.

“I thought Diljit wouldn’t be able to do it because Chamkila had a certain look. I didn’t know if he could fit in that,” said Imtiaz Ali.

However, now, almost a year after the release of the film, director Imtiaz Ali believes that no actor would have played the role of Amar Singh Chamkila better than Diljit Dosanjh.

“But now, if I think about it, nobody else could have done that part better than him (Diljit). Maybe film wouldn’t have happened without him. No words of appreciation would be enough for him. It’s exemplary. All my prayers for him,” said Imtiaz Ali.

Earlier, Diljit Dosanjh, who has been nominated in the Best Performance by an Actor category for his role in the Netflix biographical drama, took to his Instagram handle to share his reaction.

“It’s all because of @imtiazaliofficial Sir,” the actor-singer wrote, crediting the achievement to the film’s director.

Dosanjh will compete against some of the world’s most acclaimed talents. The 2025 International Emmy Best Actor nominees include David Mitchell for ‘Ludwig,’ Oriol Pla for ‘Yo, Adicto (I, Addict),’ and Diego Vasquez for ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude.’

Imtiaz Ali expressed his happiness at the nomination of his film ‘Chamkila’, saying that he is glad about the truthful representation of the Punjabi folk singer in the movie, which is now garnering appreciation at the global stage.

While talking to ANI, director Imtiaz Ali said, “Sajid and I were together when this news broke out. Sajid is my brother and also the co-writer of this film. So I said that the one good thing we did was that we didn’t fictionalise the story of Chamkila.”

‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ tells the story of Punjab’s iconic folk singer Amar Singh Chamkila, often called the “Elvis of Punjab.”

Chamkila rose to fame in the 1980s for his bold songs and energetic performances, but his life was tragically cut short in 1988 when he and his wife, Amarjot Kaur, were killed at the age of 27.

Diljit Dosanjh portrayed Chamkila, the top-selling artist of his era, whereas Parineeti Chopra essayed the role of Amar Singh Chamkila’s wife, Amarjot Kaur.

Released on Netflix in April 2024, Amar Singh Chamkila was written by Imtiaz Ali and Sajid Ali. The film’s live-recorded folk music and emotionally driven storytelling have been widely appreciated. (ANI)

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