Amar Singh Sandila (1960-1988) was a famous Indian singer and composer in the Punjabi music industry. He is best known for his live stage performances. Music director Amit Trivedi once called Chamkila the “Elvis of Punjab”. He is popular for the lyrics in his songs about extramarital affairs, femininity, drug use and drinking. Apart from composing typical commercial Punjabi songs, he also composed devotional songs like “Baba Tera Nankana” and “Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di”. His death has remained a mystery since his assassination in 1988 in Mehsampur, Jalandhar district, Punjab.
Wiki/Biography
Dhani Ram was born on Thursday, July 21, 1960, in Dugri village, Ludhiana district, Punjab (age 27 at the time of death). He attended Gujjar Khan Primary School in Dugri. After passing Class 8, he started working in a Hojari factory in Ludhiana to support his family.At the same time, he developed an interest in writing poetry and lyrics, which made him one of the popular names in the Punjabi music industry
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′10″
Weight (approximately): 65kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Amar Singh Chamkila’s father’s name is Hari Singh Sandila and his mother’s name is Kartar Kaur.
Hari Singh Sandila, father of Amar Singh Chamkila
He has two brothers, Rashkar Singh and Avtar Singh, and two sisters, Swaran Kaur and Charandip Kaur.
Avtar Singh, brother of Amar Singh Chamkila
Swaran Kaur, sister of Amar Singh Chamkila
After the death of Amar Singh Chamkila, his father and brother Lashkar Singh could not bear the trauma, which eventually led to their death.
wife and children
Amar Singh Chamkila was married twice; he married his first wife Gurmail Kaur on December 7, 1975, when he was only 15 years old; The couple had three daughters and a son but one of the daughters and one son passed away and the other daughter’s name was Amandeep Kaur and Kamaldeep Kaur also known as Kamal Chamu Kira). Kamal Chamkila followed her father’s path and became a singer, singing her first song “Lalkara” with Punjabi singer Raj Brar.
Amar Singh Chamkila’s first wife Gurmail Kaur
Amandeep Kaur – Amar Singh Chamkila’s daughter
Kamal Chamkila – daughter of Amar Singh Chamkila
After divorcing his first wife, Chamkila married Amarjot Kaur in 1983. They have one son, Jaiman Chamkila, who is also a singer.
Amar Singh Chamkila with second wife Amarjot and son
Jaiman Chamkila, son of Amar Singh Chamkila
caste
He belongs to the Chamar community of Dugri village near Ludhiana in the Indian state of Punjab. Chamar belongs to the Dalit community, classified as a Scheduled Caste in the northern regions of India and Pakistan.
Profession
Sing
first album
In 1979, Amar Singh Chamkila recorded his first album with HMV along with folk singer Surinder Sonia, which became an overnight hit. The first song he recorded with Surinder Sonia was “Takue Te Takua Khadke”, but Chamkila left the partnership with Sonia because he felt her manager was not paying him enough. Punjabi folk singer Surinder Shinda played an important role in establishing Chamkila’s career. At the age of 18, he approached Surinder Shinda for a job through dholak master Kesar Singh Tikki and started working on the stage where Shinda used to perform. Surinder Shinda gave him a name: “Amar Singh Chamkila”. Amar Singh Chamkila once recited a song he had written to Surinder Shinda and asked him to perform his song, which became an instant hit red. The first song composed by Chamkila and recorded by Surinder Shinda was “Main Diggi Tilak Ke”. After the song ended, Chamkila started singing the opening song for Surinder Shinda’s stage show. When Shinda himself was performing on stage in Canada, he had the opportunity to record with Shinda’s lead singer Surinder Sonia, who recommended Amar Singh Chamkila to HMV to record on his behalf.
stage performance
Before taking the stage with wife Amarjot Kaur, Chamkila performed with other female singers like Miss Usha Kiran, Amar Noorie and others. Kuldeep Manak suggested Amarjot to work with Amar Singh Chamkila as he was looking for a permanent female singer. The couple started singing together and became famous not only in Punjab but also mesmerized people internationally with their catchy and witty lyrics. They have sung many super hit songs like “Ki Jor Gariban Da”, “Kan Kar Gal Sun Makhna”, “Gora Gora Rang” and many more. Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur are popular and have recorded many LPs with HMV. They have also performed on international stages in Canada, Dubai and Bahrain. Soon, they reached the pinnacle of their singing careers.
Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur perform on stage
car collection
Amar Singh Chamkila owns an Ambassador car.
Photos of Ambassador Amar Singh Chamkila’s car
die
On March 8, 1988, Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur were shot dead by unidentified assailants as they alighted from their vehicle to attend an event in Mehsampur. Subsequently, the police launched an investigation but failed to arrest the perpetrator, leaving the case without any conclusion. The murders of Chamkila and Amarjot remain a mystery to this day. There are many theories about the killing of Chamkila and Amarjot. Some sources claim they were murdered by militants because of the use of double meanings and explicit lyrics in their songs, while others say the couple’s assassination was due to dissatisfaction with other emerging singers in the music industry, who they say for “contract killing. Some other sources believe that the murder of Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur was an honor killing because Amar · Amar Singh Chamkila belonged to the upper caste and Chamkila belonged to the lower caste, so Amarjot’s parents planned to kill them. The real reason for his death could never be revealed Crack.
Facts/Trivia
- His real name is Amar Singh Sandira.
- According to Chamkila’s classmate Harbans Dugri, Chamkila has loved singing since she was a child and has been singing in class as required by her teacher since the first grade.
- Apart from being the lead vocalist, Amar Singh Chamkila also sang the chorus in the song “Putt Jattan De Bulande Bakre” and he was also the group singer for the song Mirza from the Punjabi folk album “Naina De Vanjare”.
- A tomb has been constructed in the memory of Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur in Dugri village, Ludhiana.
Tomb of Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur
- Punjabi writer Gulzar Singh Shaunki wrote the book “Awaaz Nahi Mardi” based on Chamkila and published it in 2014.
Cover of “Awaaz Nahi Mardi”
- Kabir Singh Chowdhry produced Mehsampur (2018), a film based on the life of Amar Singh Chamkila.
- The Punjabi film “Jodi” starring Diljit Dosanjh and Nimrat Khaira is released in May 2023; the storyline of the film is reportedly based on the life of Amar Singh Chamkila.
Poster of Punjabi movie Jodi starring Diljit Dosanjh and Nimrat Khaira
- Late producer Gurdev Singh Randhawa planned to make a biopic on Chamkila; however, it was never made. According to Randhawa’s sons, Chamkila’s widow Gurmail Kaur handed over the rights to make the Chamkila biopic to their father in October 2012; however, , after Randhawa’s death in November 2022, there were reports that Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali was working on a Chamkila biopic starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra. Later, Randhawa’s son approached the court to ban the release of the biopic produced by Imtiaz Ali.
- One of Amar Singh Chamkila’s unreleased songs Kaadha Soorma was released by Punjabi MC in 2007 based on folk hero Jeona Morh.
- Surinder Shinda revealed in an interview that Amar Singh Chamkila is a fan of Amitabh Bachchan’s hammer haircut and has kept the same hairstyle for years.
- Chamkila knows how to play Harmonia and Dholki, but on stage, he often sings on his Tumbi (instrument).
- Artist Ranjit Mani, who worked under Chamkila, has said that in 1987-88, Chamkila used to perform three shows a day.
- Chamkila used to charge Rs. A wedding performance cost 4,000 rupees, while other singers used to earn only 4,000 rupees. Local stage show 500.
- Rumor has it that he booked more shows than many famous artists of the time.
- According to HMV, after Chamkila’s death, his record tape sales reached 500,000 cards, while he sold about 40,000 to 50,000 cards during his lifetime.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education