The Kannada film industry is reportedly preparing to distance themselves from Sonu Nigam, after a concert row. During a show at a college on April 25, an audience member asked Nigam to sing in Kannada. He replied with, “I didn’t like the way he shouted ‘Kannada, Kannada’. This is the reason behind the incident in Pahalgam.” This created conversations on social media while fueling an outrage amongst his Kannada audience. So much so, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) has announced a non-cooperation with the singer.
KFCC President M Narasimhulu opened up to reporters about the incident. He said, “There will be non-cooperation with Nigam across Karnataka. It’s just like a ban. He should apologise to the people of Karnataka.” General Secretary of the4 association, Dharma Vish said, “Nigam is one of the finest talents India and Kannada have seen. The controversy is not about his talent but about his comment, which deeply hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas. Comparing people from a state to terrorists is extremely damaging.”
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TA Narayana Gowda, faction of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike convener noted, “He has sung hundreds of songs in Kannada films, so his fans merely requested a Kannada song. He could have sung it, declined, or remained silent. There was no pressure on him. Linking the request to the Pahalgam terror strike was completely uncalled for.”
Sonu Nigam also released a video, clarifying the statement. He noted that he was “threatened” by a small group of boys to sing in Kannada at the event. However, he asked his fans “not to generalise” or have any bad views about Kannada speaking people for their actions. In an open letter, the singer also wrote, “I have revered my Kannada songs way more than my songs in other languages including Hindi.” They were hell-bent on creating a ruckus,” he said. Sonu added, “Every artist has a song list prepared. I told them politely to let me follow the concert’s flow. Who is at fault here?”
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