Is it ok that the film ignores this bitter truth about Chamkila? - Page 3

Originally posted by: Basskarrr

The first post of this page says “I thought it was a cute love story”.. his bigamy was also shown in jest. Well most people will take away that they were happily married etc but if that is not the case, it is wrong depiction

Chamkila knew that he could get away with bigamy. That's the advantage of being popular. The whole imported cow bit was about how easily they could get away with bigamy with some cash and a cow which is super sad but unfortunately how things go for rich and famous.

Amarjot and Chamkila's marriage was transactional to me. There was nothing cute about it. If she were not singing partner, she would be insignificant to him. That's just my take.

Originally posted by: sidnilove

Chamkila knew that he could get away with bigamy. That's the advantage of being popular. The whole imported cow bit was about how easily they could get away with bigamy with some cash and a cow which is super sad but unfortunately how things go for rich and famous.

Amarjot and Chamkila's marriage was transactional to me. There was nothing cute about it. If she were not singing partner, she would be insignificant to him. That's just my take.

The marriage did look transactional because he wanted her to keep singing with him. Agreed but I also agree with there being some romanticising maybe unintentional on the part of the director… but yes an audience will lap up tragedy not something that is black and white

This is disturbing

He was not whitewashed in the film but Amar’s physical and emotional abuse to his wife was not shown properly

Originally posted by: priya185

This is disturbing

He was not whitewashed in the film but his physical and emotional abuse was not shown properly

I do not know whjo he was

who abused him physically and emotionally may i pls know story

Originally posted by: myviewprem

I do not know whjo he was

who abused him physically and emotionally may i pls know story

He abused his wife Amarjot

The sister is describing it as it’s some sitcom episode.

Originally posted by: TotalBetty

That was his biggest mistake, maybe

That's exactly what it is about!

Otherwise we have enough current n relevant sexist, mysogynists and even criminal minded celebs from bollywood and punjab industry to talk n worry about.

Chamikila is hardly known to be worried about for his way of life in distant past! I dont think people of today idolize him the way they do idolize salman, sanjay dutt etc

And its not like only men are at faults evertime. Women are not far behind n Its more worrisome when people defend drug abusers n cheaters in the name of feminism

For example, deepika....apart from her name beimg involved in drug cases , she was also having multiple relationships while being with ranveer without his knowlege. The guy was in a shock when she admitted but people were applauding her for that bravery.

Originally posted by: sidnilove

Chamkila was shown as flawed. His intentions behind marrying Amarjot were mentioned - he didn't want the Jodi to break. It was about money and popularity. He was a bigamist. And they showed him giving money to his first wife who had a little kid on her shoulder. He was an opportunist.

He wasn't whitewashed.

The main point of the movie was to show the double standards of people. How they used to diss Chamkila openly and enjoy his songs behind closed doors. It was about showing the systematic targeting of a singer who came from a lower caste and had the audacity to grow so big in the music world.

Agreed it is a filmmaker's choice what they would like to focus on. But I am not sure if I take the domestic abuse as a greater flaw than deceiving someone into marrying you. I mean there is grey and there is an outright villain-type character. They show him as grey. But the line blurs after some time when you are doing all villainous type things. Also to make his point Imtiaz had to keep him sympathizable to some extent. To effectively make his point about the hypocrisy of society. That his music was a hit on hush-hush terms. Not many openly admitted they bought his record. The same people in an effort to look holier than though would pretend like they were disgusted by his music.

Originally posted by: Maharani69

It wasn't about his personal life. Regardless, they did show how he devalued his marriage by gifting his first wife a literal cow as a bargain.
Can I rant about the movie tho? Dilijit was the best part. Ugh, but Bollywood shouldn't attempt biopics. It's always the same B/W montages, flashbacks, and needless spoon-feeding with convenient treatment. Imti's direction was boring, tedious, & flat. If he knew about the abuse yet romanticized Chamkila's r-ship with singing & Amarjot, then it's an absolute shame.

Were his personal and professional life not intermingled anyway? With his wife also being his singer partner. I think the movie is well-made. It was a narrative. A story for one thing. There is a consistent conflict throughout the film of a lower-caste man against the so-called higher-ups in society, sitting on a high horse and calling him out. I said this in private this biopic helped me realize why Sam Bahudar did not work. That movie had no storyline to it. It was a bunch of major events of Sam Bahudar's life compiled together. With no plot whatsoever. This movie managed to keep me hooked. I understand It is all subjective. A lot depends on your movie taste. I am probably the only person here who has only managed to get halfway through Animal. Despite being a history buff I do not watch a whole lot of biopics. But there are three that left a major impact on me.

#RutherBaderGinsburg - watched it right before I gave my law school entrance exam. I was told to do something relaxing and inspiring before the exam. I got a massage and went out for a movie. I left the theatre more inspired than ever.

#Udham Singh - One of the best, if not the best biopic made in Bollywood. Still very underrated. I could not move afterward. It took me time to put myself back together.

#Chamkila - after correctly saying everything he wanted to say about society through Chamkila as a muse Imtiaz really knew how to make his movie hit at the end. He never stops reminding you about the injustice. And further highlights it at the end.

Was there spoonfeeding? The officer who tells Chamkila that lighthearted music and entertainment sells and is needed during grievance was based on history. There was an officer that set up a meeting with Chamkila to tell him that. I know without that knowledge that scene and a lot of other scenes look like spoonfeeding. Imtiaz mentioned many if not most of the scenes are based on reality.

I have not watched the movie nor do I know much about Chamkila's life.

However, I am not surprised or shocked that his marriage involved domestic violence. Domestic violence and marital rape awareness is very new in India. For a long time, people believed that marital issues were a private and personal problem. People also believed that as the head of the household, the husband had the right to discipline his wife just like he would his children. Some wives, too, would retaliate with belan or throwing steel vessels or chappals. It was treated as a joke or normal "bickering." Today, we know that raising a hand on kids and spouses is wrong and expect far healthier expression of emotions in all relationships. But I mean, even today, there are many people who believe that domestic violence is a part of romantic relationships. Some even believe the husband has the right to sex and there can be no rape in marriage.

Ideally, when you make biopics, you must show the whole truth - the good, the bad, and the ugly about a person's life. However, the Indian audience tends to lack nuance. They see characters as black or white. If someone is a protagonist or the central character, they will celebrate the whole character, including all the bad things that they do. If someone is a villain or antagonist, they see the character as bad and don't like their humanity being shown. Of course, there are exceptions and many audiences are mature to get the difference. But if a filmmaker wants to show someone as a protagonist they will whitewash the character - because some people will celebrate the character's evils while others will reject the character wholly for doing some bad things. This does happen even in the west many times.