Imtiaz Ali’s acclaimed Netflix original Amar Singh Chamkila is a period biopic that finds Diljit Dosanjh playing the titular folk singer from Punjab. Known for his lewd songs that he performed with his wife Amarjot, Chamkila faced casteism and violent attempts to censor him. While the singer was unfortunately shot in cold blood, his legacy lives on with this biopic that many are hailing as a return to form for its writer and director.
Here are a few other biopics and human dramas to watch if you enjoyed Amar Singh Chamkila and where you can stream them online right now.
1. Jogi
Set during the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, Jogi is a gut-wrenching drama that brings out an empathy-inducing performance from Diljit Dosanjh. The movie proves that while Dosanjh might have sung many cheerful numbers in his musical career, he can completely transform himself and represent the pain of his community while acting.
2. Manto
Manto stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the outspoken Indian-born Pakistani author Sadat Hasan Manto. Nandita Das’s biopic tells his life story with snippets from his own literature, revealing the brutally honest and uncensored attitude of his writing style. Much like Chamkila, Manto courted many censorship controversies in his time.
3. Rockstar
Often regarded as Imtiaz Ali’s magnum opus, Rockstar charts the journey of Ranbir Kapoor’s Janardhan “Jordan” Jhakkad as he evolves from a hopeless romantic to a musician who can sell out stadiums. But instead of glamorising the artist’s journey, Ali also dabbles in the melancholic and heartbreaking side of stardom.
4. Sam Bahadur
Sam Bahadur is one of the most period-accurate Bollywood biopics in recent memory. Starring Vicky Kaushal as the top-ranking Indian military leader, Sam Manekshaw was praised for its attention to detail and fact-based storyline (much like how Amar Singh Chamkila blends its narrative with real-life archival footage).
5. Ishaqzaade
While Diljit Dosanjh carries Amar Singh Chamkila on his shoulders, Parineeti Chopra also excels in a supporting act as his wife and fellow singer Amarjot Kaur. To get an early taste of Chopra’s rebellious act, one can watch her gritty National Award-winning performance in Romeo and Juliet adaptation Ishaqzaade.
6. Gangubai Kathiawadi
When it comes to stylish biopics with impeccable art direction, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grim period piece Gangubai Kathiawadi is a prime example. The 2022 release stars Alia Bhatt and charts the rise of an influential socialite who rose from sexual slavery to politics in 1960s-era Mumbai.
7. Soorma
Amar Singh Chamkila wasn’t Diljit Dosanjh’s first biopic as he had already played the Indian hockey player Sandeep Singh in Soorma. The biopic mainly covers Singh’s comeback to the field after surviving a near-fatal shooting.
8. MS Dhoni The Untold Story
MS Dhoni The Untold Story charts the life journey of the titular cricketer with Sushant Singh Rajput in the lead role. Director Neeraj Pandey’s scope of chronicling an eventful life in such an ambitious manner is what would impress fans of Amar Singh Chamkila.
9. Tamasha
While it didn’t perform well commercially, Tamasha subsequently became a cult classic. The coming-of-age drama perfectly captures the struggle of Ali’s heroes, to balance their dreamy-eyed artistic ambitions with the cynical expectations of society.
10. Jodi
Before Diljit Dosanjh portrayed Chamkila in Hindi cinema, he had already done so in a Punjabi film. Jodi isn’t a biopic on Chamkila per se but it’s heavily inspired by his life with Dosanjh playing a rebellious folk singer of the ‘80s called Amar Singh Sitaara.
You can find all the information to stream Amar Singh Chamkila and similar movies in the list below. We also provide you with all offers to buy or rent these movies in India.
