Ludhiana court refuses injunction on release of Amar Singh Chamkila biopic

Late Wednesday evening, the court of Additional District Judge Shatin Goyal in Ludhiana delivered a verdict declining to injunct the telecast of the film “Amar Singh Chamkila,” scheduled for release on Netflix this Friday.

Directed by renowned filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and featuring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in pivotal roles, the film portrays the life of the late Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila and his second wife, Amarjot Kaur.

The legal battle ensued when Patiala resident Ishdeep Singh Randhawa filed a petition on April 8, seeking a “perpetual injunction” and a halt to the film’s release. Randhawa asserted that Gurmail Kaur, Chamkila’s first wife, had sold the exclusive rights for the biopic to his deceased father, Gurdev Singh, a prominent figure in the Punjabi film industry.

According to Randhawa, Gurmail Kaur had accepted Rs 5 lakh from his father in exchange for granting the rights, supported by a written agreement dated October 12, 2012. Randhawa, who claimed to be the legal heir of his late father, argued that the rights to produce the film on Chamkila’s life belonged to him and his family.

Previously, a similar lawsuit filed by Randhawa in a Ludhiana court was “dismissed as withdrawn” last year.

Advocate Siddharth Sharma Tejas, representing Window Seat Films and Reliance Entertainment along with Advocate Ravinder Kumar Sharma, stated, “The court declined to issue any injunction orders on the film’s release and has deferred the application, granting the filmmakers time to present their written response.”

Tejas elaborated, “We contended that the film’s release cannot be restrained as the issue does not constitute copyright infringement, and the agreement cited by the plaintiff is time-barred under the law of limitation and Copyright Act provisions.” He added that the court’s decision was made during an open session, emphasizing, “No injunction, no urgency.”

The next hearing is scheduled for May 6.

The tragic demise of Chamkila and his second wife Amarjot Kaur occurred on March 8, 1988, in Mehsampur village, Jalandhar, amidst the turbulent period of militancy in Punjab. Their assassination, which took place as they arrived for a performance with their band, remains unsolved. Chamkila, only 28 at the time of his death, was born and raised in Ludhiana’s Dugri and had swiftly risen to prominence as one of the most revered live performers in the Punjabi music industry, garnering both admiration and controversy.