Sonu Nigam Under Fire: 'Kannada' Controversy at Bengaluru Concert

Renowned playback singer Sonu Nigam has become embroiled in controversy after an FIR was filed against him for purportedly offending Kannadigas by declining a request to perform in Kannada during a concert in Bengaluru.

Nigam claims he was threatened by a small group of individuals demanding he sing in their language. He stressed the importance of not holding the entire community accountable for the actions of a few. The artist shared his ordeal on Instagram, recounting how four or five aggressive individuals disrupted his performance, creating an uncomfortable situation for the rest of the audience.

The incident, which took place on April 25 at a college event, led to allegations from Dharamaraj Ananthayya of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) that Nigam's conduct questioned cultural pride and equated linguistic identity requests to acts of violence. Nigam, however, highlighted that many of his best songs are in Kannada and affirmed his longstanding positive rapport with the Karnataka audience.

(With inputs from agencies.)