Bollywood filmmaker, Imtiaz Ali explained why Amar Singh Chamkila's caste was mentioned in just one scene.
During an interview with NDTV, the 52-year-old filmmaker discussed the film's positive reception upon its recent release on Netflix and highlighted a pivotal scene where Chamkila faces a casteist remark.
The Jab We Met director shared, “Yes, there is a lot of caste politics, but I don’t want to beat the drum which is already beaten. Ek Hindustani aadmi ko caste ka sab pata hota hai (An Indian person knows everything about caste),”
Moreover, Imtiaz elaborated that the scene mentioning Chamkila's caste effectively establishes his response, thus clearly portraying his "caste battle."
He said, “If you have a dialogue in your film where this guy says that, ‘You think you are my equal just because I asked you to sit with us? Apni aukaat mat bhulo.’ Then Chamkila says, ‘I am a Chamar, but I won’t die hungry.’ The caste battle, this concept, his life, gets cleared."
"Then you don’t have to show caste everywhere. We are showing the life of a musician, who happens to be a Dalit,” Imtiaz added.
The film was released onApril 12, 2024, on the streaming platform, Netflix.