Actor Sahiba Bali, who played the journalist who conducts a confrontational interview with singer Amar Singh Chamkila in director Imtiaz Ali’s film of the same name, spoke about working with Diljit Dosanjh, who stars in the titular role. Sahiba, who worked as a marketing professional previously, also spoke about Diljit’s ‘intelligent’ marketing acumen, and how he has been able to capitalise on his recent success.
In an interview with Connect FM Canada, Sahiba spoke about being a massive Diljit fan, and how excited she was to share the screen with him. She said, “I can’t tell you what a great experience it was, because before being his co-actor, I was a huge fan. Since years, I’ve been a huge Diljit fan. On the day that we were shooting this, I was extremely excited about finally meeting him and talking to him.”
She said that her ‘entire perception of Diljit’ is based on what she’s seen of him on social media. “He’s flamboyant, humorous, has so much energy. But I was on set, sitting next to a co-actor, looking around, waiting for Diljit to arrive with a bang. I didn’t realise that the co-actor sitting next to me for the past half-an-hour was actually Diljit. He was so quiet, he was so zen, he was in his zone. He was just sitting quietly, waiting for the shot. And then I realised he’s Diljit, so I started talking to him. He was in a meditative state, so disciplined and focused. I couldn’t believe it was the same Diljit, the singer and the performer.”
As a former marketing professional, Sahiba also offered her two cents on Diljit’s meteoric rise. “Timing is everything in marketing, and this is his time. From probably Coachella, where he started, to releasing his new albums, to working with huge artists in Hollywood, to doing Crew and Chamkila. Back-to-back, he has seen a lot of successes, so this is his time. This is when you capitalise on everything. He’s extremely intelligent himself, and he knows this. That’s where marketing comes into play, because you know you have a short span of time where you’re peaking, and this is where you go all out.”
Also starring Parineeti Chopra, Amar Singh Chamkila is based on the life of the slain Punjabi folk singer. The film opened to positive reviews earlier this month, and has so far accumulated 5 million views on Netflix.
