Imtiaz Ali’s direction helps to add to the narrative so beautifully that it doesn’t just feel like a musical biopic, but also gives you food for thought. He has not shown the story from Amar Singh Chamkila or Amarjot Kaur’s perspective. He has shown other people narrate the life story of the duo. That too it’s not always the same person narrating the entire back story. You’ve different sets of people telling different incidences from their recollective memory. So, in a way, the story isn’t just about the singers and their music, it’s also about the kind of impact that the music had on people’s lives – people who were close to them and also the commoners in general. Also, another massive step Imtiaz Ali took is to not get the songs recreated in Hindi for a better reach. He has used the songs in Punjabi but has given the viewer a lyrical video where the song’s Hindi lyrics are coming on the screen side by side when the song is being sung in Punjabi. So, there is no confusion about what the songs are trying to say. It’s a gamechanger of a move and I am so sure that this trick is going to be picked up by many pan-India films who wouldn’t end up dubbing or remaking the same songs in five different languages. They would much rather just play the song with its original intent in the base language, and the rest would just be showcased in the choicest language onscreen in form of a lyrical video. A special mention needs to be given to the opening scene of the film where the two protagonists are gunned down. The way Imtiaz Ali has shot the scene is so clever. You’re left shocked at what just happened, and the actors also perform brilliantly there, but what you’re left grappling with is that even as a viewer you’re not able to find out as to who pulled the trigger – a question that has yet not been solved in real life. Keeping the audience guessing throughout the film was a great choice.