Cinematic liberties: Dharmendra's slain cousin replaced by Chamkila in film within film

Filmmakers are kind enough to slip in tiny disclaimers admitting that the so-called biopics they have churned out are more fiction than fact, all in the name of spicing up reality.

Enter Imtiaz Ali’s rendition of the life and times of Amar Singh Chamkila, a portrayal that takes the truth and stretches it to new cinematic heights.

My colleague, Yudhajit Shankar Das, has already highlighted a convenient omission in this flick — of music maestro Charanjit Ahuja — the unsung hero behind Chamkila’s ascent to stardom.

Ali’s ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’, with its candid admission of being “loosely inspired by true events” and its enthusiastic embrace of “certain cinematic liberties” on its disclaimer plate, truly outdoes itself by showcasing the singing duo as the headlining stars of a film titled ‘Patola’ post their assassination.

Parineeti Chopra and Diljit Dosanjh in ‘Patola’ (Photo: Parineeti Chopra/Instagram)

Behold the grandeur of the “Preet Palace” theatre in the climax, adorned with vibrant posters featuring Chamkila and his partner Amarjot, dressed to impress in their musical garb.

OMITTING ANOTHER REAL STAR

But let’s set the record straight: the actual film ‘Patola’, hitting screens in March 1988, starred none other than Veerendra, a top gun of Punjab’s entertainment industry in the era and a cousin of Bollywood star Dharmendra.

Sharing the spotlight with him were names like Daljeet Kaur, Satish Kaul, Mehar Mittal, and a whole bunch more.

As for Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjot, the musical sensations, they merely made a fleeting appearance during a live performance within ‘Patola’.

A poster of ‘Patola’

Veerendra, playing Balwant Ballu, wasn’t just some Bollywood cousin riding on coattails; he carved his own niche in Punjabi cinema, delivering hit after hit.

With a repertoire of around two dozen flicks under his belt, Veerendra’s themes ranged from the classic Jat sagas to lovey-dovey rom-coms, all with his signature flair.

Yet, despite his undeniable impact, Veerendra’s presence is conspicuously absent from Imtiaz Ali’s magnum opus on Chamkila.

And fate, it seems, had a twisted sense of irony in store, as Veerendra met a similar tragic end just nine months later.

The December of 1988 marked the demise of the seasoned actor, gunned down during the filming of ‘Jatt Te Zameen’ in a village near Ludhiana, leaving behind a perplexing mystery surrounding his untimely demise.

Bobby Sing, a film critic, sums up this phenomenon of fictionalising reality in his own way.

“Biopics are often made to glorify the protagonist, loaded with intentional creative liberties. And the process doesn’t mind sacrificing many other stalwarts in the narrative, keeping their focus intact,” he says. “That can also be called ‘fooling the audience,’ but then it is all in the game,” Sing concludes.

(Harmeet Shah Singh is Senior Editor, India Today TV)

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