Mumbai: The first song ‘Ishq Mitaye’ from the upcoming Diljit Dosanjh-starrer film ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ has been sung by Mohit Chauhan.
The song, composed by Oscar and Grammy-winning composer A.R. Rahman, brings together the dream team of Rahman, lyricist Irshad Kamil, director Imtiaz Ali and Mohit Chauhan, who had earlier delivered chartbuster music in ‘Rockstar’ and ‘Tamasha’.
The track is a blend of traditional and modern beats, weaving a musical narrative of the dramatic times in which Chamkila became the iconic music star for the masses in Panjab – the highest record selling artiste ever.
It’s strongly reminiscent of the Punjabi music of the 1980s.
The song was released on Thursday at the ‘Next on Netflix’ event in Mumbai in the presence of Parineeti Chopra, Diljit Dosanjh, Rahman, Mohit Chauhan, Imitiaz Ali and Irshad Kamil.
The film is based on legendary Indian singer and musician Amar Singh Chamkila. Chamkila and his wife Amarjot were killed, along with two members of their band, on March 8, 1988. The case remains unsolved.
The film stars Diljit in the titular role and Parineeti Chopra as Amarjot, Chamkila’s wife and singing partner.
There are six original Hindi songs in the film sung by Mohit Chauhan, Alka Yagnik, Arijit Singh, Kailash Kher, Richa Sharma, Jonita Gandhi, Yashika Sikka and A.R. Rahman.
Talking about the film’s OST, Rahman said, “When you make a story about a musician from Punjab, such a musically rich state of India, it’s always something special. So, Imtiaz and I decided to give our take on the storytelling musical and give it a twist, like a Broadway musical in certain parts. I loved how Imtiaz reinvented himself in the story.”
He added, “Working with Diljit was a pleasure; he is humble yet has a very colourful personality, and I love his growth as a musician, an artiste, and an actor. Working with Parineeti Chopra as a singer was also really enjoyable. She was such a delight to work with. And of course, our amazing Irshad Kamil always comes with great lyrics. It is great to be a part of this project.”
The film will showcase live on-location music recordings done during the film shoot, capturing the rawness and the exuberance of each moment as Diljit and Parineeti sing live in the ‘Akhadaas’ (live music performances in the villages).
Imtiaz Ali said, “It was very exciting to see Rahman sir dive into the heart of Punjabi music in Chamkila. We could not find a better muse to explore the vivacious and heart-wrenching landscape of Punjabi music than Amar Singh Chamkila, the highest record-selling artiste of Punjab.
“It was fascinating to use some traditional musical styles and instruments in the album, which have not been used for a long time. Also, there was no better person than Irshad Kamil to bring out the traditional strength of Punjabi ‘boli’ in a contemporary style for this musical album.”
The film is produced by Mohit Choudhary, Select Media Holdings LLP, Saregama, and Window Seat Films. The music of the film will be released under the label of Saregama.
‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ will drop on Netflix on April 12.
–IANS