Playing Amar Singh Chamkila

Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh played Punjabi musician Amar Singh Chamkila in director Imtiaz Ali’s film of the same name. In an Indian Express interview before the film’s April 2024 release, Dosanjh discussed preparing to portray the singer and his own relationship to Chamkila’s music. The film also cast Parineeti Chopra as Amarjot Kaur. Dosanjh’s comments are valuable as a performer’s account of approaching another artist’s life; a dramatic portrayal should not automatically be treated as a historical record of every incident it depicts. The interview places his acting within a career that also includes Punjabi-language music.[1]

A Mumbai collaboration

In March 2024, Time reported that Dosanjh joined Ed Sheeran on stage at Sheeran’s Mumbai concert to perform Lover. The report describes Dosanjh leading the song while Sheeran sang the chorus in Punjabi and played guitar. Both artists shared material from the appearance on social media. Time also noted Dosanjh’s earlier bilingual collaboration Hass Hass with Sia. The concert report documents specific collaborations across musical and linguistic contexts, rather than implying that either performer represented all Punjabi or English-language music. It records a public performance at a particular event, not a complete list of Dosanjh’s international work.[2]

A Glasgow concert

Later in 2024, Guardian critic Arusa Qureshi reviewed a Dosanjh performance at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro during the Dil-Luminati tour. The review discussed the show’s use of Punjabi language, a large stage production and the interaction between the performer and audience. Qureshi placed the concert in the context of his earlier Coachella appearance and a Vancouver tour date. Her description is a critic’s account of one event and her assessment of its music and staging. It provides a record of a particular reception in Britain without establishing the size or character of every audience on the tour.[3]

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. Alaka Sahani; Diljit Dosanjh. Amar Singh Chamkila is bigger than Elvis Presley for us ↗Interview · Source date: 2024-04-07 · Locator: Interview about preparing for Chamkila. Accessed 2026-11-03.Written source inspected; recordings and films not reviewed.Return to Playing Amar Singh Chamkila, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Mallory Moench. Ed Sheeran sings in Punjabi with Indian star Diljit Dosanjh ↗News report · Source date: 2024-03-17 · Locator: Mumbai concert and collaborations. Accessed 2026-11-03.Written source inspected; recordings and films not reviewed.Return to A Mumbai collaboration, paragraph 1 ↑
  3. Arusa Qureshi. Diljit Dosanjh review: bhangra and beats ignite an arena-sized Punjabi party ↗Concert review · Source date: 2024-09-27 · Locator: Glasgow concert review. Accessed 2026-11-03.Written source inspected; recordings and films not reviewed.Return to A Glasgow concert, paragraph 1 ↑
Help improve this entry. Suggest a correction with a source. · Read recorded changes
Record PH-PEO-0165 · English edition · human review not performed