Imtiaz Ali On Chamkila, Diljit Dosanjh & His Broken Characters | Tarannum Thind | Homecoming

Imtiaz Ali — the filmmaker behind Socha Na Tha, Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kal, Rockstar, Highway, Tamasha and Amar Singh Chamkila — has spent a career telling love stories about people who are flawed, restless and searching. His characters are never tidy, his endings are never simple, and his silences often say more than his dialogue. Now, from his Mumbai office, he opens up about Punjab, music, failure and the stories he is still trying to tell. In this episode of Homecoming With Homeland, host Tarannum Thind sits down with Imtiaz Ali for a conversation that moves between the philosophical and the deeply personal. He explains what draws him to Punjab again and again, why Punjabi songs play on radio stations as far away as Hyderabad, and how the warmth of the people grounds him every time he lands. He talks about shooting songs, the “surrogate family” a film set becomes, and how A.R. Rahman and Irshad Kamil shape his stories, with Rahman, he says, having no safety guard and no fixed process. The heart of the episode is Amar Singh Chamkila. Imtiaz Ali describes shooting in the very spaces where the story unfolded, only days from the anniversary of the real events, and what it means to make a film about a real person’s last moments. He shares the coincidence Diljit Dosanjh revealed long after the shot: that his own blood fell on the same spot where Chamkila’s once did. He also explains why Diljit’s silence on screen was never hollow, and why he cannot imagine anyone else in the role. There’s much more: why his characters are broken, and why he calls it “a mirror to all of us”; why he believes change is largely feminine; why self-pity is the one emotion he struggles to portray; fictional characters who feel more real than real people; how Highway waited 12-15 years to be made; the viewers who quit their jobs after watching Tamasha; his advice to young filmmakers, from staying close to performance and people to treating commerce as a friend; the kada he has worn since school; Amritsar’s wrestler kulche; and the Partition story he is making now, rooted in personal and generational trauma, while the people who lived it are still here to see it. As part of this tour, one thousand trees will be planted in Imtiaz Ali’s name in partnership with the Roundglass Foundation. 👉 Subscribe to Tarannum Thind:    / @tarannumthind   Watch Other Podcasts By Tarannum Thind - Homecoming With Homeland -    • Homecoming With Homeland | Tarannum Thind ...   Chait With T -    • Chai With T Podcast Full Interviews   Homecoming with Tarannum Thind ❤️ After nearly 30 years away, Tarannum Thind returned home not just to a place, but to the stories, memories, and connections that shaped her journey. Homecoming is a conversation series that brings together some of India’s most influential artists for intimate, unfiltered discussions about life beyond the spotlight. Through stories of ambition, sacrifice, identity, success, and belonging, artists reflect on where they came from, what they’ve overcome, and the moments that defined them. Inspired by Tarannum’s own homecoming, the series explores a universal truth: no matter how far life takes us, our roots continue to shape who we become. These are not just conversations about careers. They are conversations about coming home. Follow us: Instagram -   / tarannumthind   Facebook -   / tarannum.thind   Youtube -    / @tarannumthind   Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to Tarannum Thind for more heartfelt and relatable conversations with your favourite artists on Homecoming With Homeland. ☕🎙️ #ImtiazAli #AmarSinghChamkila #DiljitDosanjh #HomecomingWithHomeland #TarannumThind #ARRahman #Rockstar #Tamasha #Highway #Bollywood #IndianCinema #IndianPodcast