Diljit Dosanjh bags Best Actor nomination for Chamkila in 2025 Intl Emmys

The Indian actor-singer has been picked for his role of Punjabi singer-musician Amar Singh Chamkila in the eponymous biopic 'Chamkila'

Indian singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh has been nominated in the Best Actor category for the 2025 International Emmys for 'Chamkila'. Dosanjh plays the lead role of popular Punjabi poet-singer Amar Singh Chamkila, who shot to fame as well as notoriety for his flamboyant personality and sexually-loaded lyrics that rubbed many the wrong way. Chamkila and his second wife were assassinated in 1988, along with two other members of his musical troupe.  The International Emmys made the nominations public on Thursday through their Instagram handle. The winners will be declared at the 53rd International Emmy Awards gala, scheduled to be held in New York City on November 24. Chamkila, produced by Window Seat Films, aired on streaming platform Netflix last year, and is the only Indian entry for the prestigious awards this year.  

Dosanjh will face off for the Best Actor award against David Mitchell for “Ludwig” (United Kingdom), Oriol Pla for “Yo, adicto” (Spain), and Diego Vasquez for “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (Colombia).

 

  The film has also been nominated for best TV movie/mini-series award, where it will compete with “Herrhausen: The Banker and the Bomb” (Germany), “Lost Boys & Fairies” (United Kingdom) and “Vencer o Morir” (Chile). 

Dosanjh is known for his Punjabi songs, and has made a breakthrough in Bollywood as well. Recently, he ran into some controversy over his films 'Sardaar Ji 3', which features a Pakistani actress Haniya Aamir. The film's release for slated for earlier this year but ran into distribution issues because of Operation Sindoor, India's military reaction to the terror attacks in Pahalgam. The movie's release was stopped in India, but managed to get a theatrical release in overseas markets.

 

Dosanjh has maintained that the film was shot well before hostilities between the two countries broke out. Recently, he also drew attention to the fact that India is still playing cricket against Pakistan, referring to the ongoing Asia Cup.

 

At a concert in Kuala Lumpur, Dosanjh said: "The media tried its best to portray me as anti-national but Punjabis and the Sikh community can never go against the nation. When my film 'Sardaar Ji 3' was shot in February, matches were being played. After that, the tragic Pahalgam terror attack happened. At that time, and even now, we have always prayed that the terrorists should receive the strictest punishment. The difference is that my film was shot before the attack, and matches are still being played."

 

In a video circulating on social media, Dosanjh is also seen saluting the tricolour being waved by a concert goer. "Woh mere desh da jhanda hai (That's my country's flag). Always respect," he said in Punjabi at the Axiata Arena.  India's past International Emmy winners include the Netflix series “Delhi Crime”, which won Best Drama in 2020, and comedian Vir Das, who bagged Best Comedy trophy in 2021.  (With agency inputs)