Diljit Dosanjh ‘wasn’t a big star’ when Imtiaz Ali signed him for Amar Singh Chamkila; director says ‘he hadn’t done Coachella’

Diljit Dosanjh has become a global sensation today, with fans residing in every corner of the world. While he has made a splash in the music industry, the celebrity has also proved his mettle as a talented actor in the Punjabi and Hindi film industry. Earlier this year, he starred opposite Parineeti Chopra in Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila and it was a box office smash. But in an interview, the filmmaker revealed that when he signed the actor to play the lead in his film, he wasn’t as successful as he is today.

During a conversation with Mid-Day India on YouTube, Imtiaz Ali spoke about Diljit Dosanjh and the fame he gained after playing the lead role in the filmmaker’s Amar Singh Chamkila. Speaking to the host, Ali revealed that Diljit wasn’t a big star when the team started working on the film. “He hadn’t done Coachella when we started working with him,” he said. He added that it all happened at the same time.

Imtiaz also said that the market value of an actor can vary from the time a film is finished to the time it is released. This is what happened with the Punjabi sensation who became a big star. The writer-director also elaborated that Dosanjh was not a “big tested star” for the Hindi film industry. When Ali cast him, people asked what the opening of this film would be as no one could predict how much money the actor would earn from the crew.

But since the filmmaker has seen his movies Udta Punjab and Phillauri, he knows that the actor is a very good actor and a Punjabi pop star as well. Moreover, Diljit knew more about the OG Amar Singh Chamkila than him. In fact, instead of Ali telling him anything, Diljit narrated it to the filmmaker.

In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, the Jab We Met director admitted that he wasn’t sure about bringing Diljit on board. He told us, “I wasn’t sure if it would work with Diljit for some reason. I thought maybe he won’t be able to do it, etc. So, I didn’t approach him initially, but after a while I did, the moment I spoke to him, it was like a different chapter, and now it’s a certain thing, and now I can’t really imagine anyone else doing it.”

Amar Singh Chamkila became such a huge hit that the audience declared it the comeback of Imtiaz Ali.