After making contentious comments during his Bengaluru concert, playback singer Sonu Nigam has now come under heavy fire from the Kannada film industry.
His song has been taken out of the upcoming Kannada movie Kuladalli Keelyavudo due to the incident.
The producers of the movie confirmed in a formal statement that the song had been taken out, so even though Nigam later expressed regret for his remarks, the damage had already been done.
As per India Today The makers of Kuladalli Keelyavudo, which features the song "Manasu Haadtade," expressed their displeasure over Nigam's remarks. In their statement, they said, "There is no doubt that Sonu Nigam is a good singer. But, we are very upset by how he spoke about Kannada recently at a concert. We cannot tolerate the insult Sonu Nigam has done to Kannada, so we have removed the song."
Before the controversy, the song, which was written by famed lyricist Yogaraj Bhat and composed by Manomurthy, had created a lot of buzz. The producers changed Nigam's vocals to Kannada singer Chethan's due to the negative response, and Chethan has since rerecorded the song.
The movie's producer, Santosh Kumar, also declared that he would no longer work with Nigam on any upcoming projects.
The controversy erupted when, during the Bengaluru concert, Nigam was repeatedly requested to sing in Kannada by a fan.
Allegedly, Nigam became irritated and made a connection between the request and the recent Pahalgam terror attack, stating, "I had started singing Kannada songs even before he was born. This is why the Pahalgam attack happened... for such a kind of attitude. At least see who is in front of you before making such demands."
Nigam defended his actions by saying he was threatened by a group of young men demanding Kannada songs and expressed his frustration over the situation. Despite initially justifying his words, Nigam eventually apologised, stating, "My love for you is bigger than my ego."
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) banned all business dealings with Nigam after the incident. An FIR has been filed against him for connecting his remarks to the Pahalgam attack, and further measures have been taken. Before any legal action is taken, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) will confirm the concert footage, and Karnataka police have sent out a notice for Nigam to come in for questioning.
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