Sonu Nigam Responds To FIR Over Bengaluru Concert, Defends His Remarks
Sonu Nigam reacted to FIR over Bengaluru concert clash, defending his stance against hate and reaffirming his love for Kannada music and culture.
Sonu Nigam has spoken out following a recent controversy that erupted after a video from his concert at Bengaluru’s East Point College went viral. In the clip, the singer was seen calling out a student who allegedly shouted at him to sing in Kannada. The interaction sparked online debate and even led to an FIR being filed against the singer in Karnataka’s Avalahalli police station, citing his remarks where he compared the incident to the recent Pahalgam attack.
Now, the 51-year-old singer has issued a lengthy statement via Instagram, defending his reaction during the concert and expressing his disappointment over the way the situation unfolded.
In his note, Sonu Nigam wrote, “I have given unprecedented love to the language, the culture, the music, the musicians, the state and the people not just when I am in Karnataka but anywhere else in the world. Infact I have revered my Kannada songs way more than my songs in other languages including Hindi. There are 100s of videos circulating on social media as a testimony. I have more than hour of Kannada songs that I prepare for every concert when in Karnataka.”
He emphasized that despite his deep respect for the language, he couldn’t overlook being publicly humiliated. The singer added, “However, I am not a young lad to take humiliation from anyone. I am 51 years old, in the second half of my life and am entitled to take offence for someone as young as my son threatening me directly in front of thousands in the name of language that too Kannada which is my second language when it comes to my work.”
Check out Sonu Nigam’s Instagram post below:
Sonu Nigam further explained that after he sang his first track of the evening, a student aggressively demanded a Kannada song, prompting others to join in and disrupt the concert. “Their own people were embarrassed and were asking them to shut up. I told them very politely and lovingly the show has just started, it's my first song and that I will not let them down, but they have to let me continue with the concert the way I have planned,” he shared.
Drawing a parallel with the Pahalgam incident, Sonu Nigam said, “Being a patriot that I am, I loathe anyone trying to create hate in the name of language, caste or religion especially after what transpired in Pahalgam. I had to school them, and I did, and thousands of students and teachers cheered me for it. The matter got over and I sang Kannada for more than an hour.”
He ended his note by expressing faith in the people and authorities of Karnataka: “I leave it upto the sensible people of Karnataka to decide who is at fault here. I will accept your verdict gracefully.”
The singer’s message drew massive support online, with fans flooding the comments section with messages of solidarity.
One fan wrote, “We Pure Kannadigas Always with you man. Good people gets hated always.”
Another one added, “There is nothing wrong in what you said. We are always with you.”
A third one said, “It’s a loss for Kannada industry. You have nothing to lose.”
The video that led to the FIR shows Sonu Nigam halting the concert to speak to the audience after being heckled.
Check out the video here:
Sonu Nigam’s contribution to Kannada music includes the iconic ‘Munngaru Maleye’ starring Golden star Ganesh and Puneeth Rajkumar-starrer ‘Ninnindale’.
Apart from Kannada and Hindi, he has sung in over a dozen languages including Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, and even English.
In 2022, Sonu was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, for his exceptional contribution to the field of arts.
