Amar Singh Chamkila: The Story Of "Elvis of Punjab" And His Music (image: screen grab from twitter.com/ParineetiChopra)
Known as “Elvis of Punjab”, Amar Singh Chamkila was a sensation in punjabi music scene. His lyrics and voice has influenced generations even in his brief period of folk music career. As Imtiaz Ali”s Parineeti Chopra and Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Amar Singh Chamkila, a biopic based on legendary singer”s life is about to hit Netflix soon, the life and music of legendary singer demands attention.
Born in July 1960, Amar Singh Chamkila hailed from a Dalit family in the Dugri village near Ludhiana. He was originally known as Dhanni Ram. During the young days, Dhanni Ram aspired to become an electrician but was able to find a job only at a cloth mill in Ludhiana.
It was during late teens, he got introduced and began his career in music. Since he loves singing, and plays harmonium and dholki, Dhanni Ram was positive about his future in music field. While working in the cloth mill, he wrote songs. He adopted the stage name, Amar Singh Chamkila.
Chamkila”s first recorded album, ‘Takue Te Takua’ became an overnight success. The album comprise eight duet songs and he sang it along with vocalist Surinder Sonia. He had brief collaborations with acclaimed artists including Miss Usha Kiran, and Amar Noorie. In the mid-1980s, he joined hands with Amarjot Kaur, who became not only his singing partner but partner in life as well. Whenever the couple hit stage, their jugalbandi set the stage on fire.
His songs enthralled the rural Punjabi audience for its rawness, and innovativeness in composition. The bold lyrics, which delved into themes including extramarital relationships, drug abuse, sexuality, alcoholism, and male gaze, which gained popularity, have also invited controversies. “Baba Tera Nankana”, “Pehle Lalkare Naal”, and “Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di” are of some of his popular songs.
As the fame came to him overnight, his death was also untimely. On March 8, 1988, Amar Singh Chamkila and wife Amarjot, shot down by motorcycle-born assailants when they got down from their vehicle for a performance at Meshampur village in Jalandhar. The case is still remain unresolved.
