Sonu Nigam reacts to Kannada row: ‘I leave it to the sensible people of Karnataka’

Mumbai: Following the controversy over his statement linking the demand for a Kannada song to the horrific Pahalgam attack, singer Sonu Nigam has shared an open letter, claiming that he has a lot of love for the Kannada language.

The ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ singer 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. In fact, 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 an hour of Kannada songs that I prepare for every concert when in Karnataka.”

However, Sonu Nigam asserted that he is in no mood to be humiliated by anyone in the name of language, especially by someone as young as his son.

The singer stated that he tried to calm people down, assuring them that the performance had just begun and he had an exciting song list for them. He added, “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. Every artist has a song list prepared so the musicians and technicians are in sync. But they were hell-bent on creating a ruckus and threatening me wildly. Tell me who is at fault?”

Condemning people for creating hate in the name of language, Sonu Nigam shared that he ended up singing in Kannada for more than an hour.

“I leave it up to the sensible people of Karnataka to decide who is at fault here. I will accept your verdict gracefully”, Sonu Nigam signed off saying.

IANS