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{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Daljit Ami
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = 
| birth_place =
| death_date = 
| death_place =
| nationality = [[Indian people|Indian]]
| other_names =
| alma_mater = [[Panjab University, Chandigarh|Panjab University]]
| known_for = {{unbulleted list|Documentary films|Journalism|Activism}}
| occupation = Filmmaker
}}

'''Daljit Ami''' is a [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] documentary filmmaker and journalist, known for his activism through social action documentaries on topics such as agricultural labour, mass movements, human rights, environmentalism, Sufi tradition and Punjabi scholars.<ref name="Tribune India 2">{{cite news|last1=staff|title=A brush with Ami|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130630/ttlife1.htm#2|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Tribune India]]|date=30 June 2013}}</ref> Being dissatisfied with how [[Punjab]] was being depicted in films, he strives to portray the reality of Punjabi culture from "an insider's point of view."<ref>{{cite news|last1=staff|title=I Want to Portray the Real Punjab|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/content_mail.php?option=com_content&name=print&id=38390|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[India Today]]|date=24 April 2009}}</ref>

The documentary films he has made include ''Born in Debt'', ''Zulm Aur Aman'', ''Karsewa: a different story'', ''Anhad Baja Bajey'', ''Not Every Time'', and ''Seva'',<ref name="Sikh Art and Film Foundation">{{cite news|last1=staff|title=Director/Producer: Daljit Ami|url=http://www.sikharts.com/ff2009_not-every-time.html|accessdate=24 August 2014|work=Sikh International Film Festival|publisher=Sikh Art and Film Foundation|date=2009}}</ref> and he co-wrote the 2014 Punjabi film ''Sarsa''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=staff|title=National Award for Punjabi film "Nabar"|url=http://www.cinepunjab.com/2013/03/national-award-for-punjabi-film-nabar.html|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=Cine Punjab News Network|date=19 March 2013}}</ref> He has written two articles for the ''[[Outlook India|Outlook]]'' magazine,<ref name="Outlook India 1">{{cite news|last1=Ami|first1=Daljit|title=Scoot! Sherry Paaji Is in Da House|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article/Scoot-Sherry-Paaji-Is-In-Da-House/289746|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Outlook India]]|date=17 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="Outlook India 2">{{cite news|last1=Ami|first1=Daljit|title=What The Dickens|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article/What-The-Dickens/290459|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Outlook India]]|date=5 May 2014}}</ref>
and his latest project is a film based on the [[1915 Singapore Mutiny]].<ref name="Times of India 2"/><ref name="Indian Express 1"/>

== Biography ==
He has a master's degree in Ancient Indian History, Archaeology and Culture, and a Masters in [[Mass Communications]]. He has worked on a number of independent films and has created documentaries dealing with social issues and politics of northern India. In the past, he has worked as an assistant editor for the newspaper ''[[Punjabi Tribune]]'',<ref name="Sikh Art and Film Foundation"/> and has worked as editorial consultant for ''Day & Night News''.<ref>http://www.dayandnightnews.com/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414191154/http://www.dayandnightnews.com/ |date=14 April 2010 }} Day & Night News</ref> and ''Global Punjab TV'', a Punjabi channel broadcast in the US and Canada. He also volunteers for [[Panjab Digital Library]] as Director, Communications.<ref name="The Hindu 2">{{cite news|last1=Sandhu|first1=Amandeep|title=Digitising memories|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/literary-review/digitising-memories/article6274912.ece|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[The Hindu]]|date=2 August 2014}}</ref>
Speaking about non-fiction films, Daljit Ami says:
{{blockquote|"In our region where people have little interest in non-fiction, documentaries lose the race to entertainment. The dictum is 'nacho, gaao, socho mat', while documentaries demand that you to think." – Daljit Ami<ref name="Tribune India 3">{{cite news|last1=staff|title=Timekeepers: Reality byte|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130520/ttlife1.htm|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Tribune India]]|date=20 May 2013}}</ref>}}
In speaking toward film length, he says:
{{blockquote|"The only problem with making short films is that the concept does not appeal to the larger audience and that they fail to generate any revenue." – Daljit Ami<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kaur|first1=Amarjot|title=Short & sweet: Different arena|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130511/ttlife1.htm|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Tribune India]]|date=11 May 2013}}</ref>}}

== Work ==
Daljit Ami's Punjabi adaption of the book ''Roll of Honour'' which was authored in English by [[Amandeep Sandhu]], and is based on the events that happened post 1984 in Punjab, as "Gwah De Fanah Hon To Pehlan", was released in November 2014.

== Partial filmography ==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''Born in Debt'' (2000)
* ''Sudarshan: An Institution Of Simplicity'' (2002)<ref name="Tribune India 1"/>
* ''Zulm Aur Aman'' (2003)<ref name="Times of India 1"/>
* ''Karsewa: a different story''{{when|date=August 2014}}
* ''Anhad Baja Bajey''{{when|date=August 2014}}
* ''Unearthing Unfamiliar'' (2009)<ref name="Tribune India 1"/>
* ''Not Every Time'' (2009)<ref name="Punjabi Mania 1">{{cite news|last1=Singh|first1=Nonika|title=On a Path Less Troden: Daljit Ami|url=http://punjabimania.com/on-a-path-less-troden-daljit-ami/|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=Punjabi Mania|date=29 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="OhMyNews 1"/>
* ''Seva'' (2013)<ref name="Hindustan Times 1"/><ref name="The Hindu 1"/><ref name="Tribune India 4"/>
* ''Singapore Mutiny of 1915'' (2014)<ref name="Times of India 2"/><ref name="Indian Express 1">{{cite news|last1=staff|title=Documentary on gender violence screened|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/documentary-on-gender-violence-screened/1117609/|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Indian Express]]|date=19 May 2013}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Recognition==
''[[Times of India]]'' noted how the film ''Zulm Aur Aman'', with its song "Zulm Rahe Aur Aman Bhi Ho" by Pakistani singer Naseebo, made comparisons between [[Adolf Hitler]], [[George H. W. Bush|George Bush]] and [[Tony Blair]], and illustrated how war-making can be a profitable enterprise for those that conduct it.<ref name="Times of India 1">{{cite news|last1=[[Times News Network|TNN]] staff|title=Video brings out profit factor in wars|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Video-brings-out-profit-factor-in-wars/articleshow/44696653.cms|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Times of India]]|date=27 April 2003}}</ref>

''[[Tribune India]]'' referred to ''Unearthing Unfamiliar'', a film on [[Sikh]] scholar Professor Pritam Singh and ''Sudarshan: An Institution Of Simplicity'', a film about a human rights activist, as path-breaking documentaries.<ref name="Tribune India 1">{{cite news|last1=[[Tribune News Service]] staff|title=Workshop dwells on film-making nuances|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121224/jaltrib.htm#10|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Tribune India]]|date=23 December 2012}}</ref>

''[[OhMyNews]]'' praised ''Not Every Time'', writing it "superbly portrays the ongoing struggle of thousands of rural people who leave their green fields and countryside homes to march in the streets of different towns and cities of Punjab."<ref name="OhMyNews 1">{{cite news|last1=Bharti |first1=Vishav |title='Not Every Time...' Scores |url=http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=310577&rel_no=1 |access-date=24 August 2014 |publisher=[[OhMyNews]] |date=11 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305005831/http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=310577&rel_no=1 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |df=dmy }}</ref>

In an interview with " Sikh Chic" Daljit has stated his reason for translating the novel Roll Of Honour : "Punjabi has its own texture and diversity of dialects. I thought that it would give me a chance to do something more {{sic|then}} just translation. This invitation was too big to resist. I thought that it would be a liberating experience, which it turned out to be."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kaur|first1=Preeti|title=Roll of Honour: An Interview With Author Amandeep Singh Sandhu, and Punjabi Translator Daljit Ami|url=http://www.sikhchic.com/1984/roll_of_honour_an_interview_with_author_amandeep_singh_sandhu_punjabi_translator_daljit_ami|accessdate=27 June 2015|publisher= Sikh Chic |date=15 December 2014}}</ref>

''[[Hindustan Times]]'' spoke toward ''Seva'' and its being centred on history and [[Punjabi culture|Punjabi]] heritage conservationist Namita Jaspal as its narrative makes comparisons between the present and the past, and instructs that the present is built upon the past.<ref name="Hindustan Times 1">{{cite news|last1=Singh |first1=Sanjam Preet |title=Tale of untiring 'seva' |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/chandigarh/tale-of-untiring-seva/article1-1085649.aspx |access-date=24 August 2014 |publisher=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=2 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822010553/http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/chandigarh/tale-of-untiring-seva/article1-1085649.aspx |archive-date=22 August 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref> ''[[The Hindu]]'' wrote "It took Daljit Ami, an independent film maker from Punjab to discover that as a result of varied interpretations of 'sewa' in the context of Sikhism, not just the preservers but destroyers of precious heritage in Punjab draw upon 'sewa' to justify their deeds."<ref name="The Hindu 1">{{cite news|last1=Dogra|first1=Chander Suto|title=Endangered texts|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-otherstates/endangered-texts/article4754671.ece|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[The Hindu]]|date=27 May 2013}}</ref> ''Tribune India'' wrote the film "not only underlines the significance of preserving heritage, but also salutes the contribution of those devoted to the onerous task of conserving."<ref name="Tribune India 4">{{cite news|last1=Singh|first1=Nonika|title=On a path less trodden|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130426/ttlife1.htm#1|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Tribune India]]|date=26 April 2013}}</ref>

''Times of India'' spoke toward Daljit Ami's current project on the 1915 Singapore Mutiny and his research involving his visiting the historic locations involved.<ref name="Times of India 2">{{cite news|last1=Sharma|first1=Sarika|title=Haryana boys led first mutiny of World War I|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Haryana-boys-led-first-mutiny-of-World-War-I/articleshow/37811128.cms|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Times of India]]|date=July 5, 2014}}</ref>

In preserving Punjab's history and culture, ''Zulm Aur Aman'' has been archived in the [[Jalandhar]]'s Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Banerji|first1=Aparna|title=Keeping tales of revolutionaries alive|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110121/jplus.htm#1|accessdate=24 August 2014|publisher=[[Tribune India]]|date=20 January 2011}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ami, Daljit}}
[[Category:Film directors from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Journalists from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Activists from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian male journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Daljit Ami - Revision history

>XLinkBot at 15:28, 7 August 2021