PremiumImtiaz Ali's "dichotomy of fame"! Ranbir Kapoor's Rockstar walked so Diljit Dosanjh's Amar Singh Chamkila could fly
Examining Rockstar's Jordan and Amar Singh Chamkila in Imtiaz Ali's cinematic universe.
Last Updated: 03.18 PM, Apr 13, 2024
Yes, having watched Amar Singh Chamkila twice already—one on the big screen—I was among the lucky ones to get a theatrical experience of the film. I realised that everything that can be said about the film is based on this beautiful term coined in Rockstar (2011), Dichotomy of Fame. There's some kind of soul connection that Chamkila (Diljit Dosanjh) and Jordan (Ranbir Kapoor) from Rockstar have, which was so glaring to me when I watched the film.
Character parallels: Jordan and Chamkila
Of course, the scene that stands out in Rockstar is indeed when Jordan is forced to click photos with his friends, who are no longer his pals but his fans, and the innocence is lost then and there. The character then even screams out in frustration if anyone else wants to click photos with him. However, in Amar Singh Chamkila, we witness Diljit heading to a police station, where he faces threats for his life. As he exits, he finds himself compelled to take photos with his "fans," who could also be his haters, leaving him helpless.
While watching Amar Singh Chamkila, all I could think was that Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar walked so that this film could fly. The 2011 release featuring RK in the lead role was a career-defining film for him, and it is still among the most-discussed films on the Internet.
Originally named Janardan Jakhar, Jordan's sole aspiration has been to become a singer. He tries his level best to show his talent whenever possible, but all he gets is abuse and insults. However, in no time, Khatana Bhai's (Kumud Mishra) words come true: "Toote huye dil se hi sangeet nikalta hai." Thus begins the self-destruction journey of Jordan, who attains success but loses himself.
Despite facing casteism and working in a sock-making factory, Chamkila aspires to earn a living, and he believes that marketing his singing talent is the only way to achieve this. This leads him to kick off his career in a humble way, but he never takes his success for granted. However, those around him believe they must bring down a rising superstar, and if he doesn't, they must make it happen.
Imtiaz Ali's approach
Imtiaz Ali's treatment of both characters, one of whom, of course, is a biopic, is quite symmetrical and looks like they have two different personalities. However, after watching Amar Singh Chamkila, it feels as though Rockstar was a "what if" version of the previous film, illustrating how things could have turned out differently.
Jordan is still shown as a successful artist; Chamkila was too, but it was short-lived as he died as a hero who people loved to hate at the mere age of 27.
However, it's the words that Irshad Kamil penned for Rockstar: "Jo bhi main kehna chaahun. Barbaad kare alfaaz mere" seems to be just a lighter version of a line from the Baaja song, "Jis wajah se chamka, woh uss wajah se tapka."
What does "dichotomy of fame" actually mean? Imtiaz, as beautiful as it sounds, demonstrated its expansion via both Rockstar and Amar Singh Chamkila. The "dichotomy of fame" describes the two sides, or polarities, of fame. The term recognises that being famous may offer both good and bad things, such as admiration and scrutiny, pressure and achievement, privilege, and invasion of privacy.
It's all in these words that gave a template to the filmmaker, which he expanded poetically and tragically in both films, giving the outcome of polarised opinion just like his journey over the past two decades.
The tragic demise and legacy
When the crowd goes berserk with just a glimpse of both Jordan and Chamkila, they also question their fame and success, whether they deserve it or not. In one of the scenes, Chamkila's troupe member tells the cop that who decides what he creates is right or wrong, and how can it be generalised that the listeners, who are across millions, are all filthy-minded people?
The artist with the highest record sales skillfully revealed the innermost thoughts of his audience, and his unwavering insistence that his "vulgar" songs were the only ones they wanted to hear persisted until his final moments. Meanwhile, Jordan remains oblivious to his success and loses himself in the crowd, perceiving their opinions as mere background noise. The same goes for Chamkila, but no matter how much he tries to avoid them and live his life fearlessly, he is made to be scared for his life.
What I am trying to say here is that I am not sure if Imtiaz thought of Chamkila's biopic during the making of Rockstar, but he should have had a different kind of attitude than Jordan, which made him survive even though he actually refused to be a law-abiding citizen, unlike Chamkila, who wasn't a criminal at all.
Power of music
The filmmaker takes out his own time to show the world of Chamkila, and it does feel complete as it was a short life, with his career being nearly a decade long or so. Even with Rockstar, we see that Jordan's ups and downs all happen in a decade with the tragedy he himself faces of losing the love of his life, the reason for becoming Jordan from Janardan.
What's life without a purpose? Chamkila gives the answer that the reason for his fame is that he creates compositions that people love to listen to, and it's not that he is corrupting society. Society is defined by the freedom that people seek to talk about anything and everything but also live a free-willed life.
Chamkila lived that life until he and his wife Amarjot were shot point blank by masked men, while Jordan continues to live a free-willed life, but he changes his definition by only seeking destruction within and also allowing people to do so.
The two sides of the same coin that Imtiaz Ali created for the screen, Jordan and Chamkila, provide compelling insights into the complexities of artistic expression, the human condition, and the transformative power of music.
I believe, with Tumbbi in one hand and rising it above, Chamkila will also scream "Sadda Haq Aithe Rakh," just like Jordan did with the guitar in his one hand.