After much anticipation, Chamkila aka Amar Singh Chamkila is finally arriving on Netflix. The Imtiaz Ali directorial traces the real-life journey of singer Amar Singh Chamkila, who became quite a rage in Punjab in the 1980s, but was murdered. The Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra-starrer has been shot in real locations where the singer’s major life events took place. The filming took place from December 2022 to March 2023. Here are all the filming locations of Chamkila.
Ludhiana, Punjab
A number of sequences of Chamkila were filmed in Ludhiana, the most populous city of the state of Punjab in India. Amar Singh Chamkila was born and brought up in Dugri, a village in Ludhiana. Before becoming a singing sensation, he used to work as an electrician and had a job at a cloth mill in the city. Since a significant portion of the singer’s life was spent in the city, Imtiaz Ali chose to shoot the film in the same place.
Ludhiana is known for being a major hub for textile manufacturing, with numerous textile mills and garment factories situated there. The city is also famous for its bustling markets selling hosiery products, including sweaters, socks, and other knitwear. Apart from Chamkila, the city has earlier served as a filming location for Bollywood films like Dangal and Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana.
Mehsampur, Punjab
Some important scenes of the film were shot in Mehsampur, a village in Jalandhar district of Punjab. This is the same village where Chamkila was murdered in 1988. The production crew shot the murder sequence of the film at the exact same place where the incident took place.
Speaking about the experience, Diljit stated that while filming the scene, he could actually feel Chamkila’s energy on set. Coincidentally, the actor also spilled some blood at the spot. He revealed that while he fell in the scene, he held a Tumbi (a musical instrument) that pricked his hand, leading to drops of his blood falling on the ground.
Sangrur, Punjab
A portion of the movie was also filmed in the city of Sangrur in Punjab. The city is known for its agricultural production, particularly wheat, barley, and cotton. Owing to the lush green villages around Sanguru, it was the ideal place to showcase village life in Punjab. The city has earlier hosted the production of the 2018 Punjabi film Marriage Palace.
Mumbai, Maharashtra
A few scenes of Chamkila were shot in Mumbai, the capital of the state of Maharashtra. The city is the hub of the Hindi film industry and houses numerous studios and production houses. It also provides access to top-notch production facilities, experienced crews, and talented actors. Hence, the production team of Chamkila also decided to shoot a part of the movie in the city. Mumbai has facilitated the filming of numerous films over the years, some recent ones being Monkey Man, Fighter, 12th Fail, Jawan, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Maidaan, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, and Tiger 3.