Gippy Grewal recalls real-life encounter with Amar Singh Chamkila

(Web Desk): Indian Punjabi actor-singer Gippy Grewal recalled his experience of witnessing late musician Amar Singh Chamkila live on stage.

In a new interview with an Indian media outlet, actor-singer Gippy Grewal, who is currently busy promoting his upcoming film ‘Shinda Shinda No Papa’, spoke about Imtiaz Ali’s biopic of Amar Singh Chamkila aka ‘Elvis of Punjab’.

Singing praises of Ali’s brilliant work and his efforts in appropriate casting for the film, Grewal said, “Leave Diljit [Dosanjh] aside, even the rest of the people, he looked for such great people.”

The ‘Carry on Jatta’ star also remembered his first encounter with Chamikla, when he was quite young and the latter performed at an akhada. “In the movie, the way they have shown the akhadas, that’s how they happened in real life too,” he recalled.

Grewal shared that Chamkila sang his first devotional song ‘Baba Tera Nankana’ there, before recording it. “He said I’ll record it if you like the song,” the singer recounted.

He admitted recording and singing Chamkila’s songs live on stage, like Dosanjh and all other Punjabi singers, and added that anyone who claims to have not is probably ‘lying’.

Notably, the biopic of controversial Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila, by eminent Bollywood filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, starred Diljit Dosanjh in the titular role, along with Parineeti Chopra as the late musician’s wife Amarjot.

The title was first released in theatres last month, before making its way to streaming giant Netflix, after five days.

‘Chamkila’ swept critical acclaim, particularly for Ali’s direction, Dosanjh’s immaculate performance and the film’s soundtrack, composed by music maestro A.R. Rahman.