Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra recently peeled back the curtain on some of the most unforgettable and hilarious moments from the sets of Amar Singh Chamkila in her vlog, along with some BTS pictures and videos. From singing live on camera with Diljit Dosanjh to her first meeting with Raghav, emotional breakdowns and death scenes, the actor shared what made the Imtiaz Ali film unlike anything she has done before.
Diljit is a rockstar, and “I am a wannabe singer”
Parineeti recalled how Imtiaz kept the set very theatre-like and, unlike regular lip-syncing, both actors had to actually sing live on camera. “We never lip-synced; we used to sing live. The mics we were wearing recorded our actual singing. We never dubbed it in a studio. It was very challenging because it had never happened before, singers actually singing live on set.”
She then shared a picture recalling her off-camera camaraderie with Diljit Dosanjh and said, “Diljit said, ‘You become Rihanna,’ and I was acting like Rihanna, which was not happening at all, totally flop — and Diljit was playing Chamkila. We were both trying to act cool, and the whole set was laughing and going crazy.”
How Chamkila played cupid for Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha
For Parineeti, the film will always be special for another reason: it was during this project that she eventually met her now husband, Raghav Chadha. She revealed that when Imtiaz Ali travelled to Punjab to plan the shoot, he met Raghav, the local MP. Raghav approved the permissions and logistics. “Back then, we didn’t even know each other. When the shoot happened in Punjab in 2023, that’s when I met Raghav. We met and started dating. Even today, we say that somewhere it’s because of Chamkila that Raghav and I got together.”
The wrap day
Parineeti revealed that she was overwhelmed after completing her final shot. Sharing a picture from the wrap party, she said, “It was a spiritual experience. After our last song, Imtiaz sir came on stage, hugged me and said so many beautiful things. I cried a lot. Diljit teased me so much. Everyone became emotional. It felt like a family breaking apart.” She remembered being unable to stop crying.
The hardest scene
While the film was filled with music and madness, the toughest moment for her was shooting the assassination sequence. Parineeti explained that acting dead is one of the hardest things for an actor. “I remember how much I struggled. Imtiaz sir wanted very artistic shots, in slow motion, and he wanted to capture the dead expressions and emotions of Chamkila and Amarjot. It was so difficult because you can’t hold your breath for so long, you have to act, your eyes are open, you can’t blink. You feel extremely uncomfortable.”
She revealed that the scene required the maximum number of takes. “Someone’s eye would blink, someone would twitch, and we had to re-do it from the start. There was so much struggle. I remember when I finally came back and saw the scene on the monitor, I had goosebumps. Imtiaz sir shot it so beautifully.”
Looking their “worst” and still doing photoshoots
Parineeti revealed gaining 16 kilos for the role, while Diljit had a tan. Both were constantly uncomfortable with their appearances, which led to chaos between takes. “We were both so uncomfortable that whenever we got even a second free, we would start doing a photoshoot. There are so many pictures where we look like Chamkila and Amarjot, but we are behaving like Parineeti and Diljit, trying to be glam. The crew used to laugh.”
About Amar Singh Chamkila
The biographical drama, based on the life of musician Amar Singh Chamkila, featured Diljit in the titular role and Parineeti as his second wife, Amarjot. The film received critical acclaim upon release and was nominated for the International Emmy Awards. It secured two nominations, Best TV Movie or Miniseries and Best Performance by an Actor (Diljit Dosanjh), but did not win.
