The Untold Saga: Inside the Lives of Amar Singh Chamkila’s Forgotten Family

After Imtiaz Ali released a film based on Amar Singh Chamkila’s story, everyone was once again talking about his life and tragic demise. Diljit Dosanjh played Amar Singh Chamkila in the Netflix movie, and Parineeti Chopra played his wife, Amarjot. Chamkila was married to Gurmail Kaur prior to getting married to Amarjot. From the first marriage, Amar had daughters Amandeep Kaur and Kamaldeep Kaur; from the second, he had a son named Jaiman Chamkila. Jaiman disclosed that he was still in contact with his father’s first wife in an interview from the previous year.

Jaiman stated in an interview with Cine Punjabi, a Punjabi multimedia platform, that he keeps in touch with both Gurmail and his stepsisters. “I am in touch with Chamkila’s first family. I have two sisters from his first wife, Amandeep and Kamaldeep. The older is married and has two kids, and Kamal is getting married this year (2023).”

“When I go meet her, she greets me well but that’s it. From the beginning, it’s been this way. It is not her fault nor our (the children) fault,” he added. Asked if they share their sorrow about losing Chamkila, Jaiman said in Punjabi, “Sometimes we speak and she would say that if your father was around, we wouldn’t be in such state. He worked really hard, people’s evil eyes impacted him, he had too many enemies. I have my sisters as well, we try to share our pain as much as we can.”

Jaiman Chamkila is a singer as well, carrying on his father and sister’s legacy. It was his maternal grandparents who raised him. On the anniversary of Chamkila’s passing each year, Jaiman and his sisters host a mela in his memory. They extend an invitation to fans and other artists to join them in honoring the legacy and music of Chamkila.