AMAR SINGH CHAMKILA: A Spiced Venture Of The Formulaic Music Biopics

Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila takes us through the life of one of the most loved and hated singers in Punjab, Amar Singh Chamkila, who once was the most sold seller in the state of Punjab – a success which also got him the title ‘Elvis of Punjab’. While the film follows what the templated Imtiaz Ali movie is all about, this is where the director plays the great role of the author and toys with the audience.

Imitiaz Ali debuted his career with the rom-com Jab We Met and has always had a weird attraction to the emotionally problematic character. Every film over the timeframe in his filmography has a character who has some kind of hard-to-explain mental disorder which complements the feel of the film. But as we go through his filmography in detail, by which I mean combining all his short films and small projects which probably went unknown by the general audience, we see a creative instinct to tell pure stories and not the stories he is typecasted in.

Amid Corona, Ali wrote and directed several films that were, not in the typical Imtiaz Ali fame but suited him. He was trying out something new every time and none of the films received the credentials it deserved. But as time went on, these movies honed the skills of Imtiaz Ali, in other words, the movies just trained him for Chamkila, which is pretty evident in the film.

Coming up to the topic, the film is pretty formulaic. While this can be a bold statement to talk about, Imtiaz Ali perpetuates the same formulas that have been used in every other music biopic we have been seeing in the movies like Bohemian Rhapsody, Baddy or the most recent Elvis.

But what is the formula?

The formula is simple and very evident. Every biopic opens with the childhood memories of the artist where he is facing a lot of difficulties (domestic violence is the most common one). This is when we cut to the pretty adolescent version of the character where he is pushed to take up several odd jobs just to make his living. This is when the lead character is introduced to music, the character having always been attracted to music but this is the time he discovers the hidden talent he has. Chamlika always had the talent in him, but when it comes to Freddie Mercury he magically discovers his talent at the bar. After that, the musicians directly decide to showcase their talent to the lead band, which grants them direct entry into the band (there is always some or the other vacant space in the group).

They directly begin their journey to success. This journey is flawless with the artist getting success in his very first song and the band breaking from one record to another. This successful journey then turns into drug abuse for the character and eventual rehabilitation. This luckily didn’t happen with Chamkila, but this is a pretty common phenomenon. After rehabilitation, the artist is back in the picture and the movie generally ends with a final performance or the eventual death of the artist. Especially, if the death is a mystery.

What is wrong with the formula?

This formula has been an artistic choice for the portrayal of the lives of several artists across the world. This was not a decision made by the group, but rather an individualistic creative choice that worked for the audience and then several filmmakers just jumped in to follow up the same formula because they saw the success. But something that doesn’t fit in when it comes to these music biopics is that the films never try to delve into the relationship between the artist and his art. The best way to display this is to take the audience through the creative process of the song being made. Just rewind through all the music biopics you have ever seen and then recall how many times have you witnessed the process in which the artist or the band sits down to cultivate the music.

The only time we got a hint of it was in Bohemian Rhapsody where the band books a motel all for themselves, which led to the creation of the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody” – but of course they had to show that it was the reason the name was on the movie poster.

It’s time to move on…

Cinema is vast and people ask for creativity. Every story has a story of its own, the story of its creation and how not one person but even the smallest of the life moments of the artists contributed to creating one of the best pieces of art to ever exist. Rather than catering for the hunger of the audience who just wants to hear the story of ‘rags to riches’. So, finally, it is time we can move on and let the audience have a story about the art they really enjoy. Because if you are making a story about art, just let them know how is it create.

Amar Singh Chamkila is now streaming on Netflix!