'Chamkila' actor Jashn Kohli aims to revamp Bollywood's Sardar portrayal

'Chamkila' actor Jashn Kohli aims to revamp Bollywood's Sardar portrayal
21 Apr 2024

Actor Jashn Kohli, who is receiving fame for his role in Amar Singh Chamkila, has expressed his desire to change the stereotypical portrayal of Sardars in Bollywood.

In a recent interview with India Today, he revealed that the clichéd depiction of Sardars had deeply impacted him during his early years.

"I was hurt and wanted to change the way we are perceived and portrayed in Bollywood. We were either cast as a soldier or the hero's friend," Kohli stated.

Kohli's stance on the community's representation
Representation

Kohli told the portal, "I would speak to writers, who agreed to the shortcoming but had no means to change it."

"Recently, Diljit paaji spoke about how people thought Sardars were only portrayed a certain way, and he changed it. When he spoke those words, it echoed the voice of so many from the community."

"Even I am on the path to help people see Sardars in a different light from what's been shown all these years."

Kohli's dream collaboration with director Imtiaz Ali
Collaboration

Kohli expressed his excitement about working with director Imtiaz Ali.

"Once you become part of Imtiaz Ali's filming process, you realize nothing else matters. I remember Imtiaz sir may have understood the pain of an actor as he told me that he sees a lot of potential in me but this character doesn't have a long screen time."

"I was so touched by this gesture and told him how I feel lucky to be part of his cinema."

Kohli's take on co-stars Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra
Co-stars

Regarding his co-stars, Kohli described Diljit Dosanjh as calm and introspective, while he characterized Parineeti Chopra as lively and cheerful.

"Diljit is so calm, always in a meditative state, and has a boundary around him. On the other hand, Parineeti is always high on energy, and having fun. However, both of them are really hardworking and so dedicated."

"I think Imtiaz sir not only got great actors but also a bunch of amazing human beings for this project."

More about the movie and its subject
The movie

Further in the interview, Kohli mentioned superstar Shah Rukh Khan as his inspiration.

Amar Singh Chamkila was released on Netflix earlier this month and stars Dosanjh and Chopra as the eponymous character and his wife Amarjot Kaur, respectively.

The celebrated singing duo created sensational records in Punjab, so much so that Chamkila was christened the "Elvis of Punjab."

Their life was cut short when they were shot dead in 1988 when Chamkila was only 27.