Amar Singh Chamkila Actor Aims to Change Stereotypes About Sardars In Bollywood: 'I Was Hurt And...'

Jashn Kohli is currently receiving recognition for his role in Imtiaz Ali’s movie ‘Amar Singh Chamkila,’ starring Diljit Dosanjh. In this musical biopic about the legendary Punjabi singer, Kohli portrays Papu, the brother of Amarjot Kaur. In an interview with India Today, Jashn shared that his inspiration to become an actor stemmed from watching Shah Rukh Khan during his formative years. However, he acknowledged that the stereotypical portrayal of Sardars in Bollywood motivated him to enter the industry and work towards changing these perceptions.

Expressing his concerns, Jashn mentioned, “I was hurt and wanted to change the way we are perceived and portrayed in Bollywood. We were either cast as a soldier or the hero’s friend. I would speak to writers, who agreed the shortcoming but had no means to change it.”

He went on to mention how Diljit Dosanjh, who plays the lead role in the movie, has successfully challenged the typical portrayal of Sardars in cinema. Jashn admires Diljit’s efforts and stated, “Recently, Diljit paaji (brother) spoke about how people thought Sardars were only portrayed a certain way, and he changed it. When he spoke those words, it echoed the voice of so many from the community. Even I am on the path to help people see Sardars in a different light from what’s been shown all these years.”

The film showcases Diljit Dosanjh as the title character under Imtiaz Ali’s direction, with Parineeti Chopra playing the role of his wife, Amarjot Kaur. In a conversation with Anubhav Bassi for Netflix India, Diljit criticized the inaccurate depiction of Sikh characters in Hindi cinema. He emphasized, “To be honest, I am not fond of clothes or swag. When we were in Punjab, the Bollywood films made at the time… they didn’t show Sikhs properly. So I decided that when I do Bollywood films, I’ll dress better than all Bollywood stylists. I know fashion.”

Meanwhile, News18 gave the film 3.5/5 stars. Our review of the film read, “Diljit delivers a stupendous act as the protagonist. The character of Amar Singh Chamkila is tailor-made for him and he pours his heart out into it. His hard work is palpable and yet his performance is effortless. Watching him become Chamkila and sing his songs will fill your heart up with unadulterated joy. Even in some heavy-weight scenes, he brings a rare restraint to the fore and renders a whole new layer of poise. It, inarguably, is his career-best performance. And somewhere in the middle, you will see him becoming one with Chamkila and very soon, you won’t be able to separate these forces that forever changed the music industry of Punjab.”

The film Amar Singh Chamkila is directed by Imtiaz Ali and is available to be streamed on Netflix.