'Filmmakers Have a Responsibility; They Should Elevate Art': Imtiaz Ali

Imtiaz Ali's latest film Amar Singh Chamkila, based on the slain Punjabi singer and his wife Amarjot Kaur, released on Netflix on 12 April. The film stars Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in lead roles.

The Quint caught up with Imtiaz to speak about choosing Diljit for the character, the similarities Diljit has with Chamkila, censorship and more. Speaking about choosing Diljit Imtiaz said, "I needed someone who could sing live on stage. He needed to have Chamkila's tone and diction. Everything was accurately placed in this one guy alone - Diljit Dosanjh."

Imtiaz also spoke about the characteristics Diljit shares with Chamkila. "First has to be humility. You cannot act out humility on screen, and Diljit could do that because he himself is a very humble person. Secondly, both come from a rural background, so Diljit's demeanour was very similar to that of Chamkila's."

One of the most important aspects that Amar Singh Chamkila touches upon is censorship. Expressing his thoughts about censorship Imtiaz said, "From the advent of art there has been censorship. I would say that maybe people only should censor because communication is being made to them. If a large population is watching and listening to something and making it immensely successful, then saying that it's not suitable for viewing is hypocrisy. As a filmmaker, I am against any form of censorship."