7 hours agoAuthor: Ashish Tiwari
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Director Imtiaz Ali is very happy these days with the success of the film 'Amar Singh Chamkila'. He says – 'I am thankful to those people who considered the film as their own. The biggest challenge behind making this film was how to make a Hindi film on a Punjabi singer. Most people liked the film. Many people are thanking me that I made a film on this subject. This is the first time I have seen this spirit of thanksgiving on such a large scale. When we were taking shots at Diljit, the wire of Tumbi got pricked in his hand. He saw that blood was falling from his hand. At that very moment he felt that this was the same place where the blood of Amar Singh Chamkila had fallen. After the success of Amar Singh Chamkila, Imtiaz Ali had a special conversation with Dainik Bhaskar.
,What changed in life before and after the release of 'Amar Singh Chamkila'?
A lot of people are messaging and calling. Most people liked the film. A lot of people are thanking me that I have made this film. This is the first time I have seen this spirit of thanksgiving on such a large scale. I am very thankful to those people who considered the film as their own.
This is a very good and happy feeling for me. This was a very different film for me. It took a lot of risks because a lot of things were happening for the first time. People liked the film, this has given me a lot of confidence.
How do you proceed with your conviction?
Our work is not of conviction, but of interest. There is an addiction to presenting any story in a different way. Like in this film I thought of doing live singing. No one has done it, but we have. Due to interest, you solve whatever problems come your way.
I think good ideas come from problems. Due to problem in Chamkila, brought animation. Because the roof could not be shown collapsing and a hundred women falling. This would have been a cruel image in itself. I try not to show anyone smoking in my films. Therefore it was shown in comic books style.
We came to know that Diljeet bled because his hand was cut, that too at the same place where Chamkila was shot?
Yes, there is a scene in the film in which he gets shot and falls in the scene. That was the same place where Chamkila was shot and died. Actually, when Diljit was giving the shot there, he had Tumbi in his hand. When he was falling after being shot, the wire of the tumbi pricked his hand and blood was falling from his hand. At that very moment he felt that the blood of Amar Singh Chamkila had fallen at that very place.
Do you want to get answers to the questions that run through your mind through your heroes?
It can definitely happen, but only when I write and direct. Then I don't realize it. I only follow the character. I don't want any of my marks to be seen in my films. But I am not able to ignore that thing 100 percent.
There is definitely a part of Punjabi culture and your journey in each of your films, so do you try to convey your journey to the audience?
No, it is not like that, I try to do the opposite. I think that I may not have any touch in the film, but it comes. Be it a poor man or a rich man, he definitely travels. He feels good when he travels. Many good things happen in travelling, some newness also comes.
This newness is very dramatic. In this, many stories are created in your mind and come from around you. Those stories come into the film. When those stories come into the film, you travel again to shoot them. During shooting, new things start coming to mind. This happens to me often.
Is there anything that happened during the shooting that still sticks with you?
I am very thankful to the village people of Punjab. I have never met such good people anywhere in my life. They allowed shooting in their homes and stayed out of the house themselves. So that we do not face any problem in shooting. He did not even know that he would get money for this thing.
Fed food from their homes. Gave many of them work in films. Anyone can have the happiness of working in a film. There were stars like Diljit Dosanjh there, but still no one disturbed him. No one went and said that they wanted a photo with him.
Is there anything about Diljit and Parineeti that you found most special?
Diljeet is a pure person. They are very reserved and shy. One thing I like about him is that he feels a lot and speaks less. The best thing about Parineeti is that she is very friendly when you talk to her.
What was the thing about Amar Singh Chamkila that impressed you the most?
Despite being such a big star, he was not a star but a servant. He used to serve the audience. He never said no to the audience. He gave his life for the audience. This seemed to me to be the most special thing about him, which impressed me a lot.
You are not afraid of what the market will say, whether the film will work or not, or what people will think?
No one knows whether the film will work or not. Some of my films have worked, some have not. What I like may not be liked by others. I also want something new as an audience and a director. I respect the market.
Every art has a price. That price must be received. I also know that the audience should like it. I think every artist should be a little shameless. His commitment is not from the market. An artist's commitment is to the audience. I like the audience's sense more than rules.
Where does he get the indifference from to criticize even his own films?
When you are giving an interview, there is a time when you think about your old films. I will impress you by lying, but will confuse myself. When I tell a lie, I gradually start believing in that lie. I know I have to make better films. For this, I try to analyze myself truthfully.
What was the biggest challenge in Chamkila?
The biggest challenge in this was how to make a Hindi film on a Punjabi singer.
Is there a different philosophy visible in your films?
Most Indians are very philosophical. I have even seen uneducated farmers in the village saying that God is present in every particle. I am also a little influenced by such things. I have been greatly influenced by Bhagwat Geeta since childhood and try to follow many of its points in life.
Does the love story of Romeo, Juliet and Radha Krishna impress you a lot?
Yes, of Radha and Krishna.
Have you heard that they are also going to make a film on Radha Krishna?
I am trying very hard. I also have a very beautiful frame of Radha and Krishna in my office. Krishna's color is purple in that. We have read in the scriptures that Krishna's color was purple. Pray that something happens so that I can make a film. For that we will have to develop a lot of capacity within ourselves.
Who would you like to cast in this?
It is very difficult to say anything about the cast right now. This is a different chapter. When I write a story I don't think about the cast. After writing the story, when the screenplay is completed, I think about what the cast will be.