Amberdeep Singh’s film Jodi is a musical drama starring Diljit Dosanjh and Nimrat Khaira as two artists who set out to redefine the Punjabi folk music scene in the 1980s. Their love story is based on the real-life couple, Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjyot Kaur.
Although the film received a slow start in India, it has managed to captivate the overseas audience, as is evident from the film's collection in the US. As per Deadline, the movie earned a whopping USD 734,000.
With the success of the film, here’s a look at the life of the singing duo Chamkila and Amarjyot, who were one of most influential Punjabi folk singers of all time:
Chamkila, often touted as the ‘Elvis of Punjab’, was famous among the youths for singing about themes that were largely considered taboo.
The singer unabashedly sang about themes such as adultery, drug abuse, and alcoholism among others.
It’s important to note that he did this at a time when most singers sang about romantic epics like those of Heer-Ranjha and Sahiba-Mirza.
In addition to being a singer, he was known to write his own songs. His popular hit songs include 'Pehle Lalkare Naal' and his devotional songs 'Baba Tera Nankana' and 'Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di'. Moreover, his song 'Jatt Di Dushmani' was recorded by many Punjabi artists, although he never recorded it himself.
Not much is known about Amarjyot, except that she was previously married and left the marriage to pursue a career in singing. She later married Chamkila, and their pairing on stage worked like magic.
They sang in free, open-air concerts (known as Akhade in Punjabi) around Punjab. Sometimes, to simply test their new songs in view of the response they would receive from the audience.
Tragically, they were killed right before one such performance. They had arrived at a village called Mehsampur by car, and when they exited their vehicle a gang of unknown youths fatally wounded the couple and shot other members of the group as well on 8 March 1988.
Their death remains shrouded in mystery. Many conspiracy theories have developed over the years – some theorise that Amarjyot’s family killed them because of their inter-caste marriage while others wonder if it was a professional rival?
Despite the interest it has garnered, the case remains unsolved.
Chamkila and Amarjyot's music was, in more ways than one, revolutionary for its time. And that will remain their legacy - an incredible feat for two artistes who sang for less than a decade.
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