Punjabi singer Chamkila's biopic makes it to Sydney Film Festival

Kabir Singh Chowdhry’s film, ‘Mehsampur’, attempts to investigate the 1988 killings of Punjabi folk singers Amar Singh Chamkila and his wife Amarjot Kaur by fusing documentary with fiction.

Punjabi singer Chamkila's biopic to be screened at the Sydney Film Festival Source: Twitter

Filmmaker Kabir Singh Chowdhry’s debut film, ‘Mehsampur’ has been shortlisted for screening at the Sydney Film festival in June.

The film, to be screened in Sydney on June 14th and 17th is described as a grand narrative on the life and mysterious killings of arguably one of Punjab’s most influential folk singers - Amar Singh Chamkila and his wife and stage partner Amarjot Kaur.

                                   

Amar Singh Chamkila performing with his wife and stag partner Amarjot Kaur Source: Facebook

The docu-drama which is a hybrid of fiction and reality gets its name from the village of ‘Mehsampur’ in Punjab, where the couple was allegedly gunned down by militants in 1988 prior to their stage performance.

The movie is a film on a film inside a film that attempts to uncover the mystery behind Chamkila’s death - a controversial artist who had raving fans and an equal number of detractors who slammed him for his sexually explicit and provocative songs.

Although it's Kabir Singh Chowdhry’s first movie as a director, he has previously worked as an art director for Dharma Productions- one of the most sought after production houses in India.

Kabir Singh Chowdhry, Director (right) Source: Facebook

The film has also been selected for the Docs Against Gravity festival in Poland and is also slated for screening at the prestigious London Film Festival.

This is, however, not the first attempt to resurrect Chamkila’s life on celluloid.

Previously, many other filmmakers have tried to chronicle his life on the silver screen, but none of them have managed to eventuate onto the screen.

Follow SBS Punjabi on Facebook and Twitter.