Diljit Dosanjh says he will stop singing songs with alcohol references if all the states in the country are declared dry state. At his Sunday show in Ahmedabad, the singer-actor responded to the notice sent to him ahead of his Hyderabad concert, directing him to avoid songs related to alcohol, drugs and violence.

The singer said, “There’s some good news. I didn’t get any notice today. There’s more good news: I’ll not sing a single song on alcohol to day either. Ask me why? Because Gujarat is a dry state! Let’s do something, let’s start a movement. If all states declare themselves dry states, I’ll stop singing songs on alcohol from the very next day... I will stop singing about alcohol, you shut the ‘thekas’ in the country... I take a pledge. Is this possible? It’s a big source of revenue. Everything was shut in corona (pandemic), except the thekas. You can’t fool the youth.”

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On Sunday (November 17), while performing in Ahmedabad, singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh publicly addressed the Telangana government’s notice warning him against performing songs that glorify alcohol, drugs or violence ahead of his November 15 Hyderabad concert. The notice, issued just hours before his performance, sparked a debate that Dosanjh has carried into his subsequent shows, including the one in Gujarat.

Starting his Ahmedabad concert on a light note, Dosanjh announced his “good news” — this time, no notices had been served. Aware that Gujarat is a dry state, he refrained from performing songs referencing alcohol. However, he expressed frustration that despite releasing two devotional tracks recently, his critics focus only on songs like Patiala Peg and 5 Taara.

Clearing misconceptions, Dosanjh asserted that he neither drinks nor promotes alcohol, unlike Bollywood stars who endorse liquor brands. “Main jahan jaata hoon, chup karke apna programme karta hoon, chala jata hoon. Aap kyun chedh rahe ho mujhe?” he questioned. Comparing his handful of songs referencing alcohol to the abundance of Bollywood tracks on the same subject, he called out the hypocrisy.

The singer-actor proposed a bold solution: a pan-India movement to ban alcohol entirely. “Agar saari states dry state ghoshith ho jaayein, main kabhi sharab ka gaana nahin gaunga. Main pran karta hoon,” he declared. Highlighting the government’s reliance on liquor revenue, he mocked the system, saying, “Corona (Covid-19) mein sab bandh hogaya tha, theke bandh nahin huye thhe. Aap youth ko fuddu nahin bana sakte.”

Acknowledging the ease of adapting his performances, he cheekily offered a compromise: declaring dry days during his concerts. “Jahan jahan mere shows hain, ek din ke liye dry day ghoshith kar do, aur main gaana tweak kar doonga,” he said, promising that his fans would still enjoy the show without alcohol-themed tracks.

Lauding Gujarat’s dry-state status, the 40-year-old expressed hope that Amritsar, his hometown, might follow suit. “Main Gujarat government ka fan hoon,” he remarked, urging his fellow Punjabis to consider the benefits of such a policy. HTC

The controversy began when Telangana authorities issued a legal notice to Dosanjh hours before his Hyderabad performance, citing tracks like Patiala Peg and 5 Taara. The move, they claimed, was to prevent glorification of vices in public entertainment.

Defending their notice, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu stated that the guidelines were intended for the betterment of society and its youth. “The government of India has issued clear guidelines against songs promoting drugs and alcohol. Mentioning these guidelines while granting concert permissions is standard procedure, so there is nothing wrong in it,” he said.