Thumbs up, by Sameer Ahire, Movie Talkies : ...The same way, Hollywood shows their hit artists having sexual and extramarital affairs, sometimes homosexual, drugs, psychological frustrations, and depression, and then gets away with rave reviews. What’s wrong with Chamkila, then? Have a look, not because Chamkila was a legend or anything like that, but because he brought out what was inside you, even if it was bad. “Karte to sab hai, but chup chupke.”... full review

Thumbs up, by Monika Rawal Kukreja, Hindustan Times : ...Watch Amar Singh Chamkila for its honesty, purity, fun, spunk and outstanding music. It's nothing short of attending a live concert, and Diljit, Imtiaz and AR Rahman is a trio that you can't get enough of.... full review

Thumbs up, by Smrity Sharma, Bollywood Life : ...Watch Amar Singh Chamkila for the firebrand performer Diljit Dosanjh. Watch it for Imtiaz Ali's flawless direction and a heartwarming story of a simple singer with big dreams who threw caution to the wind and paid a heavy price for entertaining his audience. A special shoutout and big congratulations to MAMI Year Round Programme for bringing to us a story made with so much heart, Amar Singh Chamkila.... full review

Thumbs up, by Rashmi Vasudeva, Deccan Herald : ...The songs are earworms and the only grouse is the unnecessary distraction of the Hindi supers (lyrics projected on the screen for extra measure). A must-watch... full review

Thumbs up, by Deepa Gahlot, Deepa Gahlot : ...Ali uses animation, photos and footage of the real Chamkila and Amarjot, and a fantastic dance number which shows why women also liked his raunchy numbers, to tell the story that took too long to reach the screen. Maybe it was waiting for the right actor to bring Chamkila to life.... full review

Thumbs up, by Abhimanyu Mathur, DNA : ...To say that Chamkila is the best Imtiaz film in years is an understatement. It is also his bravest film and the most politically charged since...well...all roads lead to Rockstar. But in many departments, Amar Singh Chamkila surpasses its spiritual predecessor, giving us a film for the ages.... full review

Thumbs up, by Rahul Desai, Film Companion : ...That is the essence of Amar Singh Chamkila. It reclaims the words from the headline. And it grieves the death of not a person, but a place and time; it laments for a world that watched and wondered. The film isn’t a whodunit. It is a ghost story – and it haunts a culture that continues to shoot the messenger.... full review

Thumbs up, by Lachmi Deb Roy, FirstPost : ...The story of Amar Singh Chamkila’s rise to fame and then murder takes place during the time of turbulent times of 1984 of Khalistani militancy in Punjab. Many say that the Khalistani leaders didn’t like his suggestive lyrics. Many even threatened him and he had to shut their mouths with money. Towards the end, Chamkila became fearless and he stopped paying them.... full review

Thumbs up, by Baradwaj Rangan, galatta.com : ...But, indirectly, at least, Imtiaz lets us see where his sympathies lie. He is for Chamkila, and against cultural censorship. The film gives us “logical” explanations – for example, that Chamkila’s caste-mentality never really went away, that he remained a “slave” of the audience, giving them what they wanted..... full review

Thumbs up, by Arushi Jain, india today : ...Amar Singh Chamkila' is worth watching simply for its music and Diljit Dosanjh performing it. That it looks deeper and gives us a sense of the man himself is what makes it special. Imtiaz Ali brings quick sympathy to Chamkila as a performer and as a man.... full review

Thumbs up, by Sakshi Verma, India TV : ...Amar Singh Chamkila is a must watch. A film that deep dives into an emerging artists life that deals with everything only to perform. The one who known that he won’t last forever and makes a choice. The one who finds a perfect age and life partner and the couple who gets to enjoy their successful and death together. Imtiaz Ali makes sure that few scene stays with you. Dialogues like, ‘Chammar hu per bhooka toh nahin marunga’ and ‘maine banaya hai Chamkile ko’ will come with a baggage for the audience.... full review

Thumbs up, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...But to Ali’s credit, there isn’t an overt flattening, showing a pleasing confidence in the way he uses AR Rahman’s compositions to buoy the bawdy, salty lyrics. He doesn’t draw back from letting us listen to what Chamkila sang. And that is a clear win. It also helps that all the actors have performed their songs live. Through the music, and through Dosanjh’s lived-in act, we get a powerful, moving portrait of an artiste who lived and died by his beliefs.... full review

Thumbs up, by "Pooja Darade ", koimoi : ...Overall, Amar Singh Chamkila is one of Imtiaz Ali’s best movies. It helps you understand art and the artist and how it’s the people who have the power to make or break someone. Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra treat us with one of their career-best performances. The movie leaves such a wonderful impact on you and leaves you with a lingering question—why do some of the best, innovative and distinctive artists have to pay the price because of society’s hypocrisy?... full review

Thumbs up, by Uday Bhatia, Live Mint : ...we see Chamkila feel his way towards a new track, one secular, the other spiritual. He sings a line or two, stops, searches for words, goes again, a smile on his face. It’s a unique pleasure, mostly denied to us by the nature of Indian film, to see a singer play another singer coming up with a song.... full review

Thumbs up, by Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...Diljit Dosanjh is at his very best as Chamkila. That, as his fans will vouch, should be enough to make the film a treat. But there is more to Amar Singh Chamkila, including Parineeti Chopra and Anuraag Arora's modulated interpretations and Imtiaz Ali's grasp on the material.... full review

Thumbs up, by Vanshika Singh, News N9ne : ...Vanshika Singh... full review

Thumbs up, by TITAS CHOWDHURY, News18.com : ...Amar Singh Chamkila might not exactly be an antidote to Jab Harry Met Sejal and Love Aaj Kal. But it deserves a watch for Imtiaz’s fervent passion, Diljit’s grit and mettle, Rahman’s extraordinary tunes and Chamkila’s dignified bravado. It’s not every day that you get to witness a delightful concert packaged in the form of a musical. It might not be wholesome but is definitely a wholehearted attempt. After all, celebration of art against all socio-political prejudices and violence is what the world has always needed and craved for.... full review

Thumbs up, by Prateek Sur, Outlook India : ...Sylvester Fonseca’s cinematography is good and helps you feel as if you’re right in the middle of everything happening. The way he has shot the musical scenes gives you a feel as if you’re one of the people standing in the crowd listening live. Also, he has kept the filming very raw which gives you a feel of how rural and rooted this story’s setting is.... full review

Thumbs up, by Sukanya Verma, Rediff : ...Amar Singh Chamkila's social commentary comes alive in its musical elegy for a ribald rebel. Brimming in exuberant covers of his original numbers, performed in person by its leads, the biopic finds its alter ego in Irshad Kamil's kaleidoscopic song writing.... full review

Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha, Sulekha : ...Unknowingly or not, some portions of Chamkila’s life are filmed more as satire than tragedy when in fact the need of the hour was gravitas. There is this unintentionally hilarious sequence wherein a group of “fans” barge into Chamkila’s home, praise him to the skies and then threaten him in the same breath.... full review

Thumbs up, by Pratikshya Mishra, The Quint : ...Amar Singh Chamkila is not a film looking for answers; instead it poses one question after another all while keeping its focus on one man and his story. What will we learn from Chamkila’s legacy and where will those learnings fit into an ever-changing world?... full review

Thumbs up, by Priyanka Roy, The Telegraph : ...Amar Singh Chamkila, however, may seem overlong and repetitive in parts and Parineeti’s performance, to be honest, pales in comparison to Diljit’s scenery-chewing act. Especially, when an undaunted Chamkila, his eyes blazing, sums up the spirit and soul of the man with: “Jeete ji marne se achha hain ki marr kar zinda rahein.”... full review

Thumbs up, by SUPARNA SHARMA, The Week : ...All of this is set against the backdrop of rising militancy in Punjab. Its continuous presence and threat are often conveyed in the film simply through the nozzle of an AK-47 that sticks out from behind the shoulders of men covered in heavy shawls. It's menacing and it's great filmmaking.... full review

Thumbs up, by Sonal Pandya, Times Now : ...More than just a biopic, Imtiaz Ali's Amar Singh Chamkila also has a message about art, why we create it and why it is so necessary, no matter what decade it is.... full review

Thumbs up, by Renuka Vyavahare, Times of India : ...Given Chamkila's questionable reputation, unapologetic approach to life, the film doesn’t glorify nor justify his actions. It merely allows him a chance to be heard. This symphonic tale of survival, shame and social standing makes for an immersive watch.... full review

So-So, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...In other words, there is a big difference between A HIT Star, known for his incomparable sales/shows, and a legend, known for his mastery of the art, flawless renditions, soulful, gems and contribution to the world of music or art.... full review

So-So, by Rohit Bhatnagar, Free Press Journal : ...With a feel like docu-feature, Chamkila is definitely going to be in Imtiaz’s list of good films, but, away from the artful storytelling lies moral compass of the society. Imtiaz, go back and make your romance, ‘kyunki pyaar mein kuch sahi galat nahi hota.’... full review

So-So, by Rashil Jogani, Pinkvilla : ...Although Amar Singh Chamkila lacks the emotional depth of Imtiaz Ali films, it offers a very unique kind of cinema which is worth appreciating.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nandini Ramnath, Scroll.in : ...The rest of the overly hearty cast flail about in a choppy narrative that tries a bit too hard to jazz up a simple storyline. The Chamkila mystique evades Ali’s take, paving the way for a deep-dive biopic on the singing sensation.... full review