Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa has found himself embroiled in legal controversy after a Ludhiana court issued summons for him to appear on September 2.
The summons follows a complaint made by Rajdeep Singh Mann, a Samrala resident in the Ludhiana district, who claimed that Guru's most recent song, Sirra, contains offensive and drug-promoting lyrics.
In his complaint, Singh took objection to a particular line from the song: “Oh jatta de aa kaake balliye… jammeya nu gurti ch mili afeem hai…” which translates to “We are the sons of Jats. We got opium as our first food when we were born.”
The lyrics were harshly criticised by the complainant's advocate, Gurbir Singh Dhillon, who called them "derogatory" and demanded that the singer be charged with a felony. He stated, “We demand an FIR against Randhawa. The lyrics insult a pious Sikh tradition. The practice of giving gurti is deeply emotional and associated with respect and purity. The song implies that newborns in Jat families are given opium, which is unacceptable.”
A number of significant digital platforms, including Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, Instagram, Spotify India, and Warner Music India, are also named in the complaint in addition to Randhawa for hosting the contentious song.
In light of the complaint, the court in Ludhiana issued a summons under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) directing Guru Randhawa to appear "in person or through counsel."
Guru Randhawa's recently released song Azul has caused yet another significant online uproar, further escalating the controversy. For allegedly sexualising schoolgirls in the music video, the singer is receiving criticism. Randhawa portrays a photographer who shows up at an all-girls school to take a class photo in Azul. What should have been an innocent, everyday scenario was portrayed in a manner that many critics described as a “sexualised, pornographic, and problematic fantasy.”
The criticism grew after a major news outlet called attention to the video's problematic aspects, pointing out that Guru objectified schoolgirls by comparing them to different alcohol brands and portraying them in a dubious manner.
As soon as the Instagram post went viral, it sparked outrage and even attracted the attention of Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor, who liked it to express her disapproval.
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