Imtiaz Ali’s recently released film Amar Singh Chamkila has increased everyone’s interest and curiosity in knowing the details of the Punjabi singer and his wife, Amarjot’s horrific murder in 1988. In a recent interview, Chamkila’s driver, Ranjeet Singh recalled what happened on the fateful day.
Singh was speaking to Baltej Sran when he revealed what exactly happened moments before Chamkila and Amarjot were shot dead. He shared that the singer and his wife had food following which they went to the venue. They were also accompanied by Chamkila’s secretary Manku and his dholak player Lal Chand. As soon as they stepped out of the car, the killers opened fire on them.
“We had a meal together at a nearby house, while Manku walked over to the venue to interact with the crowd. After a few minutes, we heard him tell the audience that Chamkila would be arriving in four-five minutes, which is when we all got into the car and drove over. But as soon as we’d arrived, the firing started,” Singh said in Punjabi.
“Amarjot would sit in the middle of the back seat, and Chamkila would sit by her side. That dholak players would get off first, but the firing began immediately after everybody exited the car,” he added.
Ranjeet further shared that Manku survived because he was not near the car but on stage. On the other hand, Lal Chand rushed to the nearby fields to save himself. Singh revealed that the killers did not threaten him but rather asked for the car keys. “They didn’t threaten me, but they asked for the keys to the car, which I handed over. They were three men. It was chaos after they started firing. People left their shoes behind as they ran for cover,” he said.
Later, after fulfilling the police formalities, Ranjeeth Singh handed over Chamkila’s belongings to his family.
Previously, Chamkila’s secretary Manku also recalled what happened
on the tragic day when he told Cine Punjabi, “The shooters were among the crowd. They could have shot him on the way. They could have shot him after he’d stepped onto the stage. Who knows, even I might have been shot if they’d fired at the stage. But they waited. Chamkila arrived in his car in grand fashion, it was a scene straight out of a movie. I said, ‘Put your hands together, Chamkila is here’.’ No sooner than I’d said this, I heard loud bangs,” he said in Punjabi.
Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila stars Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in the lead. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
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