Film Review
By Alok Joshi
I happened to see two wonderful Netflix musicals recently, that too back-to-back. Unlike most other movies, they stayed with me for a while. Chamkila and Elvis are very different in terms of location, language and time-frame yet their underlying themes are similar and relevant.
Chamkila is a scintillating biopic based on the life of Amar Singh Chamkila who ruled the musical landscape of Punjab from 1979 to 1988. He was the highest record-selling artist of his times. He was born in 1960 into a Dalit Sikh family and named Dhani Ram. Later, rechristened as Amar Singh Chamkila, he found such unprecedented fame amongst the masses of Punjab that he was known as “Elvis of Punjab”. He was so much in demand that he did 366 shows in 365 days. The locals fixed their weddings according to the availability of Chamkila to perform at their marriage functions. He sang songs on contemporary issues like drug abuse, guns, extra-marital affairs, dowry, alcoholism, etc. His songs were raw. They were what some people called “ashleel” and laced with coarse, obscene lyrics. He wrote those songs himself, composed and sang them to win the hearts of masses.
Chamkila (played by Diljit Dosanjh) had his struggles in the competitive music industry, like most singers do. He came from a very humble background, worked in a garments factory but had a great passion and talent for music. For him it was a question of survival. He sang what the audience wanted, even if it was vulgar. As a singer, his aim was to entertain the public and earn a decent living. He married Amarjot Kaur (played by Parineeti Chopra) and the duo created magic.
There was resentment over his raunchy songs from the custodians of society. He was threated by religious groups and extremists. He was even forced to cough up ransom at times. Actually, Chamkila gave up singing obscene songs to please them. He switched over completely to religious songs but his audience wanted him to sing only spicy and vulgar songs. They were somber times in the backdrop of the 1984 riots. The public needed diversions and entertainment, he obliged them.
Finally, he and his wife were shot dead on 8 March, 1988, when they got out of their car to do a performance at a wedding ceremony. Even after almost 36 years, the culprits are still free. Justice has not been delivered. Nobody knows for sure who killed him and his wife along with two members of his crew. There are only theories about their killers. Some say it was extremists who had hired killers, others say it was “honour killing” since his wife came from the upper class and they were against their marriage, while according to another theory, his competitors were responsible for eliminating him.
Chamkila’s untimely death at 27, when he was at his peak and still had a long way to go, placed him in the august company of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain in the infamous “27 Club”.
I personally loved the movie, having been brought up in the Punjab environment. Diljeet is simply superb; Parineeti too has done a good job of her role. But, as expected, nothing could go wrong with a Director like Imtiaz Ali and music by none other than AR Rehman.
Equally riveting and captivating is the movie based on the life of Elvis Presly. He too was a heart-throb of millions and he too died under mysterious circumstances on 16 August, 1977, at the age of 42. He is also considered the greatest singer/ performer of his times. His lewd jerky movements as he sang made everyone go crazy. He too came from a poor background. But he struggled and followed his dream to become a cult in himself, the symbol of rock and roll music. There was obscenity and vulgarity in his rock music that made the girls go mad. He was labelled as “Elvis the Pelvis”. He was controlled by the audience, the media and his business manager. He gave to the public what they wanted. He gave the music that made him and the audience happy.
The film explores the life story and music of Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) seen through the narrow prism of the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (played brilliantly by Tom Hanks). His manager spots this young singer and turns Elvis into the biggest name in music.
At a broader level, I find a lot of similarities between the two stories, between the lives of two great singers, who struggled, sacrificed and conquered the music world but whose lives were cut off at an early age. Through these films, we are made to think about the freedom of expression. We are provoked to consider questions of morality, hypocrisy, pressures of competition and fame, the role of the artist in society, and the influence of the audience in making of a star. Who decides what is entertainment and what language is acceptable or unacceptable? People are different, so are their moral standards, norms and tastes. Is it fair to become slaves of their fans, like Elvis and Chamkila did? Or one must follow what is dictated by the society and its custodians?
Both the movies are relevant and will leave you with food for thought. Go for them, if you are music lovers and want some change from the routine war movies.
(Alok Joshi is an HR Advisor, motivational speaker, trainer, freelance writer and author with a multi-cultural background and diverse experience in India and abroad).
