Biography

Amar Singh Chamkila was one of the most influential Punjabi artists and live stage performers. His music was majorly influenced by the village life of Punjab, where he was surrounded by while growing up. 

Birthplace

Amar Singh Chamkila was born on 21 July 1960 in Dugri, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. He was born as Danni Ram into a Dalit Sikh family in the village of Dugri. He wanted to become an electrician, which he never became.

However, he used to work at a Ludhiana cloth mill. His zodiac sign was Cancer. Chamkila belonged to the Schedule caste. 

Real Name 

Dhani Ram 

Other Names

Amar Singh Chamkila, Amar Chamkila, Elvis of Punjab

Title Name 

Elvis of Punjab

Nickname 

Chamkila

School

Chamkila studied in Gujar Khan Primary School, Dugri, Ludhiana, Punjab. He completed his studies till 8th standard.

Death Date and Place

Chamkila died on 8 March 1988 at the age of 27 in Mehsampur, Punjab, India. He was murdered (shot dead) along with his wife, Amarjot. 

Genres

Chamkila used to sing Punjabi duets, solos, folk, and religious songs. 

Profession

Amar Singh was a singer, composer, and musician. His instruments were Tumbi, harmonium, dholak, and vocals. Chamkila was active from the year 1979-1988. 

Father, Mother, and Siblings

Chamkila’s father’s name is Hari Ram Singh. His mother’s name is Kartar Kaur. Both have died. Chamkila has 2 brothers and 3 sisters, named Swaran Kaur, and Charandeep Kaur, and the third one’s name is not known, however, she has died.

Amar Singh Chamkila Sister Swaran Kaur

Marriage/Spouse

Chamkila was first married to Gurmail Kaur. He was then, married to Amarjot. Chamkila was first married to Gurmail Kaur. 

Gurmail Kaur – First Wife of Amar Singh Chamkila

He was then, married to Amarjot on 23 May 1983. Amarjot Kaur was Chamkila’s second wife. Chamkila had one son with Gurmail Kaur, who had died. With Amarjot, he has one son, Jaiman Chamkila, who is a singer. 

Amar Singh Chamkila marrying Amarjot

Chamkila has 2 daughters, both with Gurmail Kaur. The elder one is Amandeep Kaur and the younger one is Kamandeep aka Kamal Chamkila, who is a singer. 

Amar Singh Chamkila’s Daughter, Kamal Chamkila

Music Career

Chamkila had a love for music. He learned to play harmonium and dholki. In 1979, he approached Surinder Shinda while riding a bicycle with his best friend, Kuldeep Paras.

Surinder finally found the talent he was looking for when he heard 18-year-old-Chamkila sing.  

Amar Singh Chamkila sang with various Punjabi folk artists, including K. Deep, Mohammad Sadiq, and Shinda. Chamkila even wrote various songs for Surinder Shinda. 

His name Chamkila means ‘one that glitters.’ Female vocalist Surinder Sonia pushed Chamkila to record his debut album.

The pair recorded eight duets and released their album. Takue Te Takua in 1980. This track, which was written by Chamkila himself became a superhit in Punjab. 

In 1980, Chamkila felt he was underpaid by Surinder Sonia’s manager (her husband) and decided to start his own group. He had a very short-lived stage partnership with Miss Usha Kiran, Amar Noorie, and many others. 

Surinder Sonia with Amar Singh Chamkila

Chamkila always wrote his own lyrics. The majority of these lyrics were quite boyish and suggestive, however fluent. Majorly, it was commentaries on extramarital affairs, and drug and alcohol use. 

Chamkila’s popularity not only grew in Punjab but also internationally. He was receiving more bookings for akharas than his contemporaries. His popularity rose to such heights that he had performed 366 shows in 365 days. 

Chamkila performing with her second wife, Amarjot at one of the Akharas

Amar Singh Chamkila is best remembered for his superhit song, Pehle Lalkare Naal.

Chamkila always used to sing along with playing Tumbi, a traditional musical instrument.

Death Date & Place

At around 1:40 PM on 8th March 1988, both Chamkila and his pregnant wife, Amarjot were gunned down as soon as they exited their vehicle while having arrived to perform in Mehsampur, Punjab. Several motorcyclists fired multiple rounds, eventually wounding both Chamkila and Amarjot and a few others.

No arrests in this connection have ever been made though. It has been alleged that Sikh militants were responsible for their deaths. Their case was investigated by Chamkila’s close friend, Swarn Sivia. Chamkila performed some timeless songs on Sikh history, such as Sathon Baba Kho Laya Tera Nankana.

Swarn was skeptical about Chamkila’s death and he remained skeptical that Khalistan militants were responsible for his murder. He said, “Throughout my life, I have continued to investigate who was behind his killing.”

His song Yaad Aave War War was released after he died in 1988.

Chamkila had approximately Rs. 65 lakh in his account at the time of death.

Popular Culture

In 2018, Mehsampur, an Indian mockumentary was released, which was based on Chamkila’s life, and was produced and directed by Kabir Singh Chowdhry. 

Mehsampur Movie

In 2023, Jodi, a Punjabi-language movie was inspired by the life of Chamkila. 

Jodi movie

Amar Singh Chamkila, a biographical drama movie based on Chamkila’s life was released on 12 April 2024 on Netflix. The movie is directed by Imtiaz Ali and features Diljit Dosanjh as Chamkila and Parineeti Chopra as his wife, Amarjot. 

Diljit Dosanjh as Amar Singh Chamkila

Parineeti Chopra & Diljit Dosanjh in movie Amar Singh Chamkila

BTS of movie Amar Singh Chamkila – Imtiaz Ali on right and Diljit Dosanjh on left

Controversies

Most of Chamkila’s songs were considered controversial since the lyrics of the songs were vulgar. These songs were accompanied by his wife, Amarjot. Chamkila received threatening calls from militants who wanted him to stop singing such songs. However, Chamkila never stopped singing even after receiving these threatening calls. 

Chamkila’s Death Conspiracies

1. The first reason for Chamkila’s death could be Amarjot’s family because of their castes. Amarjot belonged to the ‘Jatt’ caste while Chamkila belonged to the Schedule Caste. 

The second reason could be his competitors being jealous of his success and shot him dead. 

The third reason could be the militants, who found Chamkila’s song lyrics objectionable. 

The fourth theory says that Chamkila was killed by an individual, whom he refused to perform with once because of a conflict in schedule. 

The fifth theory says that Chamkila could have been murdered by Punjab police since they were not happy with Chamkila’s vulgar songs. 

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