New Delhi. A few days ago, a film was released, its name was ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’. Diljit Dosanjh starrer ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ was based on the life of Amar Singh Chamkila, a singer from Punjab. Amar Singh Chamkila was considered a ‘revolutionary’ singer. It was even claimed that Amar Singh Chamkila himself was inspired by Elvis Presley.
Elvis Presley was an American singer, musician and actor. He had fans all over the world. Even today, Elvis Presley has fans all over the world. If we talk about Elvis Presley’s Bollywood connection, he had a great influence on Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Mithun Chakraborty and even Bappi Lahiri.
Elvis Presley means ‘King of Rock and Roll’ in the world of music. An artist whose arrival on stage would make the crowd scream and shout. And, when this artist would start singing with a mic in his hand, the audience could not stop themselves from getting mesmerized. According to the ‘Britannica’ website, Elvis Presley was born on 8 January 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. He breathed his last on 16 August 1977 in Tennessee.
As soon as Elvis was born, a mountain of sorrows fell on him. One of his twin brothers died at birth. At the time of Elvis’ birth, apartheid was increasing rapidly in America. Racism was visible everywhere and in every section of society. At that time, ‘rock music’ was associated with black people. The connection of fate was such that Elvis’ father went to jail in a fraud case and Elvis had to come to Memphis, Mississippi with his mother. There was a large number of blacks in this area. It is believed that while living in this place, ‘rock’ music started making a home in Elvis’ heart and mind.
At the beginning of his career, Elvis introduced the black community’s favourite ‘rock’ to the ‘white’ people. Elvis also used African dancing style a lot along with songs. This was the reason why Elvis was successful to a great extent in bringing both sides of the racial divide together. Racism was not visible or audible among those who watched his performance. Elvis Presley sang many songs and did many stage shows. In a survey by ‘Rolling Stone’, 10 best songs of Elvis Presley found a place, which had fans all over the world.
His song ‘Suspicious Minds’ is believed to have been inspired by the failure of Elvis Presley’s marital life. Similarly, songs like ‘If I Can Dream’, ‘In the Ghetto’, ‘Jailhouse Rock’, ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’, ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘An American Trilogy’, ‘Kentucky Rain’, ‘Mystery Train’, ‘Burning Love’ gave Elvis a new identity.
Elvis took part in many social works during his career. He also worked to inspire people. But, his personal and professional life was always surrounded by controversies. News related to his drug addiction used to make media headlines. The death of Elvis, who said goodbye to the world at the age of 42, was no less than a puzzle. On 16 August 1977, Elvis’ body was found in the bathroom. It was told that Elvis died of cardiac arrest. Later it was found out that drug overdose was the cause of his death.
Elvis Presley was an artist who was appreciated by Bollywood as well. From Bollywood’s legendary actors Shammi Kapoor to Dev Anand, their hairstyles reflected Elvis Presley. Even in films, Shammi Kapoor’s acting reflected Elvis. Even Mithun Chakraborty has been seen adopting Elvis Presley’s mannerisms somewhere. Music composer Bappi Lahiri was also very influenced by Elvis Presley. In the film ‘Disco Dancer’, Mithun Chakraborty copied Elvis Presley’s dance movements a lot. Elvis Presley’s influence was also visible on the accessories used by Bappi Lahiri.
Image Credit: Khas-khabar.