Amar Singh Chamkila was renowned Punjabi singer of 80s for his controversial and adult songs. He sang many duet songs with Surinder Sonia and Amarjot Kaur. He was also known as ‘Elvis of Punjab’ because of his popularity in the state.
#1 Early life of Amar Singh Chamkila
He was born on July 1,1980 as Dhani Ram in Dalit Sikh family at Dugri village in Ludhiana District. He faced many hardships early in his life.He wanted to become electrician by profession, but destiny decided him to be singer. He started working in a cloth mill at a very young age and supporting his family. Despite early hardships in his life, his interest in music never backed down. At the age of 16, he learnt harmonium and folk instrument ‘Tumbi’ as well. He also joined the music group of renowned singer Surinder Shinda. In this music group, he honed his writing skill and gave many songs to shinda as well.
#2 Chamkila destiny to music
In early 1980, Surinder Shinda went to Canada for solo music trip. Back in India, his duet partner Surinder Sonia recorded 4 duet songs with Dhani ram under HMV music label. After this album, Dhani ram was established in the industry as Amar Singh Chamkila. Their first music album ‘Takuye te takua Khadke’ was a big hit. People liked his singing and music genre.
His demand for music and wedding functions was skyrocketed. There is a legend about chamkila that he used to do recording for new songs during the monsoon season, as stage shows were less in monsoon. He has the record for doing 366 live shows in 365 days. But chamkila was not happy for the amount he was getting from the shows. Surinder Sonia was getting around Rs.600 per show while chamkila was earning only Rs.200 per show. After few collaborations, they parted their ways.
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#3 Collaboration with Amarjot Kaur
Soon after parting with Surinder Sonia, Chamkila was looking for new female vocalist. He performed with Usha Kiran and with Amar Noorie as well on stage for a short period of time. But he was looking for well established singer. Then his fellow Punjabi singer Kuldeep Manak introduced him to talented female singer Amarjot Kaur. Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur established themselves as a legendary pair in the industry.
#4 Controversy
Chamkila’s albums were sold without any warning about the adult themes and sexually explicit content. Chamkila sung about alcoholism and sexually explicit content with focus on women.In “Jija Lakk Minle“, the album opens with a song suggestive of extramarital relations with sister-in-law.. “Pekeyan De Ghar Mein Changi” is a song about domestic violence and sexual exploitation of wife. “Pehle Lalkare Naal” is about alcoholism and the resulting domestic violence. These albums were said to be widely popular. These types of songs were new to people. They liked his songs irrespective of explicit content.
His reel life made an impact on his real life as well. His second marriage to Amarjot was done without divorcing the first wife Gurdial Kaur. It is said that marriage came as surprise to both women. He had two daughters with his first wife and two sons with Amarjot Kaur. Chamkila was a domestic violence person in real life, and before stage shows Amarjot used to cover up her bruises with makeup.
#5 Unexpected death
On March 8, 1988, Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur were shot dead near Mahsimapur village in Jalandhar district. They were on their way to perform at a wedding function. Amar Singh Chamkila was only 27 years old when he breathed his last breath. They were shot down brutally in broad daylight. Their assailants came on bikes and fled the scene after gunning them. Police were unable to find any traces of the killers and the case has not been solved to date.
FAQs:
1.Who is the son of Amar Singh chamkila?
Jaiman Chamkila is son of Amar Singh Chamkila with his second wife Amarjot Kaur.
2. Is Web series Chamak based on Chamkila?
Yes, Web series Chamak inspired by the tale of folk singer Amar Singh Chamkila.
3. Where can I watch Amar Singh Chamkila movie?
Chamkila movie will be released on 12 April 2024. It will only be released on Netflix worldwide.
4. Who was Chamkila first wife?
His first wife name was Gurdial Kaur. They had two daughters named Amandeep Kaur and Kamaldeep Kaur.