Diljit Dosanjh.
Credit: X/@diljitdosanjh
Leaving his fans shocked, Punjabi singing sensation Diljit Dosanjh announced that he would not be performing live in India until the infrastructure of the country improves during a concert in Chandigarh.
"Instead of bothering us (artistes), improve your concert infrastructure or I will not perform in India... I want to say this to the administration. We do not have proper facilities for live shows here.It is a big revenue source. A lot of people work (on these events) and get employment due to it," the singer told, as per a report in The Times of India.
The singer can be seen frustrated with the management in a video being circulated on social media.
The Punjabi singing sensation had dedicated his Chandigarh concert to D Gukesh, praising the newly crowned world chess champion for turning his dream into a reality.
Diljit, who performed a show in Chandigarh on Saturday as part of his "Dil-Luminati India Tour 2024" received applause when he criticised the infrastructure that causes inconvenience to artists in India.
The music sensation is known to face criticism head-on and not shy away from giving his opinions. Recently, Dosanjh had said in his concert that he would stop singing alcohol-themed songs if all the 'thekas' (liquor shops) in the country are shut down.
At his show in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the singer-actor responded to the notice sent to him ahead of his Hyderabad concert directing him to avoid songs related to alcohol, drugs and violence.
Diljit tweaked the words in his chartbusters "Lemonade" and "5 Taara" -- which originally mention 'daaru' (alcohol) and 'theka' (liquor store) in their lyrics -- after he received a notice from the Telangana government ahead of the Hyderabad concert of his "Dil-Luminati India Tour 2024 Tour" on Saturday.
Taking a swipe at the notice, the singer at his Sunday's show told the Ahmedabad audience: "There's some good news. I didn't get any notice today. There's more good news: I'll not sing a single song on alcohol today either. Ask me why? Because Gujarat is a dry state."
Meanwhile, responding to the Bajrang Dal's protest against his concert in Indore, the singer recited the famous lines - "Kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thode hi hai", by Rahat Indori.
"Agar khilaaf hain.. hone do, jaan thodi hai. Ye sab dhuan hai.. asmaan thodi hai. Sabhi ka khoon hai shaamil yahan ki mitti mein, kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thodi hai (If they oppose, let them; life is not at stake. This is just smoke, not the sky. Everybody's blood (sacrifice) is mixed in this land's soil, Hindustan is not is not anyone's paternal property)," he recited, leaving the crowd in awe.
Meanwhile, the popular singer-actor has also topped the UK list of the 'Top 50 Asian Celebrities in the World' previewed in London, following his mega live tour and box-office success.
The 40-year-old Punjabi star dethroned last year’s topper, Shah Rukh Khan, and ranked ahead of international talent from the world of cinema, television, music, arts and literature celebrated in the 2024 edition of the list published by UK weekly ‘Eastern Eye’ on Friday.
(With PTI inputs)