Diljit Dosanjh SLAMS news anchor over alcohol-related lyrics controversy; calls for equal censorship in films and says, 'I have many songs which are bigger hits than Patiala Peg'

Diljit Dosanjh

Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh has hit back at a news anchor for targeting him over the use of alcohol-related lyrics in his songs. In a video posted on Instagram on Friday, Diljit addressed the audience in Lucknow, arguing that if songs are to be censored, then the same rules should apply to Indian films as well. He pointed out that while singers are often soft targets, films that feature similar content have even won National Awards.

In the video, Diljit is heard saying, “Ek anchor sahab hai TV pe unke baare mein zaroor baat karna chahta hoon. Woh mujhe challenge derahe the k Diljit sharab ke bina gaana hit kar ke dikhaye. For your kind information sir, Born To Shine, GOAT, Lover, Kinni Kinni, Naina mere bahot saare gaane hai jo Patiala Peg se zyada stream karte hai Spotify pe. Woh jo aapka challenge hai woh toh bekaar ho gaya kyuki mera already bohut saare gaane hai jo hit hai Patiala Peg se bohut zyada (There is an anchor on TV that I’d like to talk about. He challenged me to make a hit song without the mention of alcohol. For your kind information, sir, Born To Shine, GOAT, Lover, Kinni Kinni, and Naina are all streamed more on Spotify than Patiala Peg. So, your challenge doesn’t count since I've many songs which are bigger hits than Patiala Peg)."

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Diljit emphasised on the need for equal censorship across the board, not just targeting singers. “I am not defending my songs or myself. Main sirf itna chahta hoon ke agar aap censorship lagana chahte ho gaano pe toh woh censorship Bhartiya cinema pe bhi hona chahiye. Right? Bhartiya cinema mein toh jitni badi gun utna bada hero. Kausa bada actor hai jisen sharab ka gaana ya scene nahi kiya? Hai koi? Yaad araha hai? Mere ko toh koi yaad nahi araha. Toh agar aapne censorship lagana hai toh please sab pe lagao (I just want that if you want to censor songs, then the censorship should be applied to Indian cinema too. In Indian films, the bigger the gun, the bigger the hero. Which big actor has not done a song on alcohol or similar scene? Is there anyone? I can't remember. So if you want to apply censorship, then do it on everyone)."

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He continued, “Kalakar aapko soft target lagte hai. Isiliye jo gaane waale singer hai usko aap chedte ho. But sir for your kind information maine jo filmein ki hai unko National Award bhi mila hai meri film ko. To humara kaam sasta kaam nahi hai (Artists are soft targets for you. So you create trouble for singers. The films that I've done have been honoured with National Awards. So my work isn't cheap). It's very easy for us to run a disclaimer that alcohol is injurious to health during concerts and continue singing songs. It's the same, right? Then it feels that we are targeting someone. So, if you have spread this wrong news, then it's called fake news...I challenge you to run the correct news."

The controversy began ahead of Diljit's Hyderabad show when the state government issued a notice directing him to avoid songs related to alcohol, drugs, and violence. Since his Ahmedabad concert, Diljit has been vocal about the double standards in targeting musicians, while similar content in films goes unchecked.