Anjum Batra played Kesar Singh Tikka in Imtiaz Ali's directorial 'Amar Singh Chamkila'. He shared his working experience with Diljit Dosanjh and Imtiaz.
Actor Anjum Batra, who played the role of Kesar Singh Tikki in 'Amar Singh Chamkila', has been getting rave reviews for his performance in Diljit Dosanjh starrer. For those unaware, Kesar Singh Tikki was a dholak player in the 80s. He was also a guide and friend of Chamkila. In an interview with Outlook India, Anjum opened up about his working experience with his co-star Diljit and director Imtiaz Ali.
Anjum called Diljit and Imtiaz's 'God's favourite children who are blessed with special qualities''. He added, ''The similarity between them is that both are down to earth, talented, soft-spoken and respect everyone''.
While talking about working with Diljit, Anjum said, ''I have shot with him for almost 30-35 days. When Dijit paji used to come on set he always had a smile on his face and was calm. I have noticed one thing about him is that he acts in between action and cut. Before action and cut, he keeps chanting ‘Wahe Guru’ and ‘Om Namah Shivaay’. He has a divine connection with the almighty''.
Anjum was also all praise for Imtiaz Ali. He said, ''It's a wish of every actor to work with Imtiaz, sir. If you see his previous works like 'Jab We Met', 'Rockstar' or other films, he has his world of cinema. From the beginning, I always wanted to work with him. I worked with him for 2-3 days during When Harry Met Sejal for some Punjabi dialogues. Amar Singh Chamkila has come after 7-8 years, where I got an opportunity to work with him.''
He elaborated ''Like Diljit Paji he is also soft-spoken, and very loving. I have noticed one thing about him. He treats everyone equally. I was the supporting lead and Diljit was the lead but he treated us equally. The way he used to hug Diljit and explain the scenes, he did the same with other characters or artists who came for just one or two days to shoot.''
Anjum further said,''One thing about Imtiaz sir that has greatly influenced me is his dedication. We think we are dedicated but it's nothing in front of his dedication towards his work. I haven't seen him sitting in one place with peace. He always has something going on in his mind. He is a writer, and director and has a great sense of music. He is very clear about what he wants from his actors, singers and music directors. His pre-production is very strong and he knows what he wants.''
'Amar Singh Chamkila' also stars Parineeti Chopra. It is currently streaming on Netflix.