New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh and the two discussed a range of topics, from the vastness of India and its vibrancy to music and the benefits of yoga.  

In a video posted on Instagram on New Year’s Day, the Prime Minister shared snippets of their conversation.

The singer praised PM Modi and said the way he spoke about his mother and the river Ganga (also revered as a mother) moved everyone, while the PM said Mr Dosanjh has lived up to his name Diljit (the winner of hearts) and won the hearts of people worldwide. 

“When a boy from an Indian village makes India’s name shine, it feels good. Your family named you Diljit and you keep winning over people,” the PM told Mr Dosanjh in Hindi. 

The singer said he had always read about how great India is and it was only when he went around the entire country that he realised why that was so.

“The large size of India is a strength. We are a vibrant society,” the PM responded.

The singer also said that yoga is almost a magical creation from India and PM Modi said only people who experience the ancient practice know its power. 

“I saw your recent interview. For us, you are the Prime Minister… it’s a big post, so sometimes we forget that there is a son and human being occupying it. When you talk about your mother or Ganga Maa… our hearts are overcome with emotions,” Mr Dosanjh said. 

The singer then sang a devotional song on Guru Nanak.

PM Modi and Mr Dosanjh also wrote about their meeting on X.

“A fantastic start to 2025. A very memorable meeting with PM @narendramodi Ji. We talked about a lot of things including music of course!” the singer wrote.

A great interaction with Diljit Dosanjh!

He’s truly multifaceted, blending talent and tradition. We connected over music, culture and more… @diljitdosanjh https://t.co/X768l08CY1

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 1, 2025

“A great interaction with Diljit Dosanjh!  He’s truly multifaceted, blending talent and tradition. We connected over music, culture and more… @diljitdosanjh,” the PM replied.

Ludhiana:

Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s highly anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana was marred by legal controversy following a complaint filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.

The complaint prompted the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, to issue a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prevent the singer from performing certain songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.

The notice, which was addressed to the local authorities in Ludhiana, specifically calls for a ban on songs that have been accused of promoting alcohol, such as ‘Patiala Pegg’, ‘5 Tara Theke’, and ‘Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya)’, even if modified with altered lyrics.

The complaint references prior warnings issued to Diljit Dosanjh by various commissions, where he was advised against performing these controversial tracks.

Despite these advisories, the singer has allegedly continued to perform them with slight alterations to the lyrics.

Panditrao Dharenavar, who filed the complaint, expressed strong concerns over the impact of such songs, particularly on young audiences, especially when underage children are in the audience.

Further complicating the situation, Dharenavar cited a ruling from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which in 2019 directed the police to ensure that no songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are played at public events, including live concerts.

According to the court’s decision, songs that glorify substances like alcohol or drugs have a detrimental impact on impressionable children.

Panditrao has also made it clear that he is prepared to escalate the matter to the Punjab and Haryana High Court if the concert proceeds with these tracks.

He further criticized Dosanjh for performing such songs while wearing a pagadi, a traditional headgear that he believes should not be associated with promoting negative values.

The Ludhiana concert, which was added as a last-minute stop on Dosanjh’s Dil-Luminati India Tour, marked the grand finale of his three-month nationwide performance schedule.

Initially, the tour was set to conclude in Guwahati, but the Ludhiana show was announced on December 23 and sold out within minutes of ticket sales opening.

In the days leading up to the Ludhiana performance, Diljit Dosanjh had already faced scrutiny in other cities for similar reasons.

During his concert in Hyderabad in November, he received a legal notice from the Telangana government, which cited a complaint about his performance of alcohol and violence-promoting songs.

Additionally, during his Indore show, the singer addressed the issue of black market ticket sales, defending himself against accusations that his tickets were being resold for inflated prices.

The controversy surrounding Diljit Dosanjh’s song lyrics isn’t new. Earlier in the year, the singer made headlines for his comments on alcohol in his music.

During a performance in Ahmedabad, he promised that he would cease making songs about alcohol if the Indian government enacted a nationwide ban on liquor. “If all the states declare themselves as dry states, I promise I won’t sing about alcohol ever again,” Dosanjh stated.

Despite these ongoing legal challenges, Dosanjh’s Dil-Luminati tour has been a major success, with tickets selling out quickly at every stop.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh, who has been scooping adulation across the world courtesy his live shows, dedicated his recent show in Guwahati to the former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The actor-singer took to his Instagram on Sunday, and shared a video from his show. In the video, Diljit paid a moving tribute to the former PM, and said that MMS was a man of grace, who always conducted himself in a sophisticated manner, and never answered anyone in an uncivilised manner.

He said, “Today’s concert is dedicated to former late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He led a very simple life. He never used to answer back or talk ill which is quite immpossible in a profession like politics”.

He then went on to say a shayari once used by MMS, as he said, “Hazaro’n jawabo’n se meri khamoshi acchi, na jane kitne sawalo ki aabru dhak leti hai”. The superstar urged the youth including himself to learn such etiquettes from him.

He wrote in the caption, “Today’s Concert is dedicated to Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. DIL-LUMINATI TOUR Year 24”.

MMS passed away on December 26 after prolonged illness. Several members of the film fraternity condoled his demise, and thanked him for his service to the nation and materialising several key moments in modern India.

Earlier, Diljit addressed the “conspiracy” that has been alleged against him over the spelling of the Indian state of Punjab. The actor-singer took to his X, formerly Twitter, and spoke about the same.

He penned a long note in which he also spoke about how English is a very tricky language, and can particularly cause trouble to those whose first language is not English.

He wrote, “Punjabi. If I mistakenly didn’t put up India’s flag after writing ‘Panjab’ in a tweet then it becomes a conspiracy. In a tweet from Bengaluru, I forgot to mention the Indian flag after writing ‘Panjab’, it became a conspiracy”.

He further mentioned, “If you write ‘Panjab’ instead of ‘Punjab’, it will remain ‘Punjab’. Panj Aab – 5 Rivers. Bravo, those who create conspiracy around the usage in a language of the Englishmen. You know what, I will write ‘Panjab’. How many times do we prove that we LOVE INDIA. Bring something new, or is creating conspiracy is what you get paid for? #Vehley”.

The superstar has seen a meteoric rise in the last couple of years with the box-office success of his films in Hindi and Punjabi cinema. The singer-actor also performed at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April 2023 making him the first Indian performer to achieve the feat. He was followed by fellow Punjabi artiste AP Dhillon at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April 2024.

Meanwhile, Diljit is set to conclude the India leg of Dil-Luminati tour in Ludhiana.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A show cause notice was served to the organisers of the Diljit Dosanjh concert in Chandigarh for breaching the noise limits.

The Chandigarh Union Territory administration said during the December 14 concert, the stipulated sound level of 75 decibels was breached. At the three locations where sound levels were checked, the reading stood between 76 and 93 decibels.

Authorities informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday about the breach and recommended strict action against violators. The court took the information on record and adjourned the hearing till January.

Mr Dosanjh had courted controversy on Monday when his post on X started the ‘Punjab vs Panjab’ debate. As he arrived in Chandigarh, he shared a post accompanied by the word ‘Panjab’, prompting social media users to accuse him of deliberately omitting the Indian flag emoji.

“If the tricolour is missed once while mentioning Punjab in a tweet, it’s called a conspiracy. Even in a tweet about Bengaluru, it was missed once. If Punjab is written as Panjab, it’s called a conspiracy. Whether you write it as Panjab or Punjab…it will always remain Punjab (he wrote in Punjabi),” his post read. He also explained that name of the state translates to ‘Panj’ (five) and ‘Ab’ (rivers), and its spelling differences in English do not change its identity.

Meanwhile, singer AP Dhillon’s show in Chandigarh, scheduled for December 21, has been shifted from the Sector 34 exhibition ground to the Rally Ground.

Pune:

The Maharashtra excise department on Sunday cancelled the permit for serving alcohol at actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert in the Kothrud area of Pune later in the evening, an official said.

The department cancelled the permit after people from different quarters, including Kothrud’s newly elected BJP MLA Chandrakant Patil, objected to plans to serve liquor at the programme.

State excise commissioner C Rajput said, “The state excise department has cancelled the permission to serve liquor during the programme.” MLA Patil raised an objection against the concert scheduled at Kakade Farm in Kothrud later in the evening.

The BJP leader, in a statement, said, “Such shows are not part of the city’s culture. This will create a major disturbance for residents of the area. The event will also cause traffic jams. Hence, I have urged the city police commissioner to cancel the programme.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Actor Kartik Aaryan joined Punjabi sensation Diljit Dosanjh during his show in Ahmedabad. The two were seen dancing and hugging while they were on stage.

Kartik took to Instagram, where he shared a string of images featuring the two stars. The first picture had Diljit and Kartik raising their hands as they were colour coordinated in black outfits.

In the next image, Kartik hugged Diljit from the back.

The duo looked at each other and smiled in the third photograph. Kartik and Diljit also performed and hugged each other on the stage.

The post was captioned: “Vibe (Call Me Hand Emoji).

A video is doing the rounds on social media, where Diljit is heard singing “Hare Krishna Hare Ram” from Kartik’s last film “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3,” which also stars Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan and Triptii Dimri among many others.

Diljit performed in Ahmedabad on November 17. His next stop is Lucknow after which he will be performing in Pune, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Indore and Chandigarh. His tour will conclude on December 29 in Guwahati.

The Punjabi sensation had given a befitting reply to Telangana government during his concert on Saturday. The Telangana government had sent him a notice instructing him to not perform songs that promote alcohol, drugs, and violence.

In a video Diljit was heard saying: “Koi bahar se kalakaar ayega woh jo marzi gaa k jaaye, jo marzi kare koi tension nahi hai. Lekin apna kalakaar ghar aa raha hai, usme tainu pareshani, taang adani hai. Par main bhi ek baat bata doon, Dosanjh ka rab hai, main nahi chhodunga (If an artist comes from outside the country, they can sing anything, do anything, there are no worries. But when an Indian artist sings, then you have a problem; you have to interfere. But let me tell you, there is God. I won’t let this go).”

“Kai logo ko toh digest nahi horaha ki itne bade shows ho kyu rahe hai? Yeh ticket 2 minute mein bik kaise jaati hai. Bro, main bohut der se kaam kar raha hoon. Main ek din mein famous nahi hua (Some people aren’t able to digest why such big shows are happening. How are these tickets getting sold in two minutes? Bro, I’ve been working for a long time. I didn’t become famous in one day).”

According to NDTV, several clips from Diljit’s Hyderabad concert went viral on social media, as he tweaked the lyrics of a bunch of his famous songs, following the government’s directive.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Singer Diljit Dosanjh tore into calls for not promoting alcohol in his songs, challenging authorities across the country to ban liquor. Addressing his audience at a concert in Ahmedabad last evening, he also said he would not sing songs on alcohol since Gujarat is a dry state.

His strong response came after the Telangana government directed him not to promote alcohol, drugs, and violence in his songs ahead of his Hyderabad concert. Mr Dosanjh, who is on Dil-Luminati India Tour, tweaked his songs ‘Lemonade’ and ‘5 Taara’ while performing in Hyderabad.

During his latest concert in Ahmedabad, he declared, “Even today I won’t sing any song about alcohol. It’s because Gujarat is a dry state.”

“If liquor is banned here, I am a fan of Gujarat government. I openly support Gujarat government for this. You close liquor shops across the country, I will stop singing songs on alcohol,” he added.

The singer further said that Bollywood has thousands of songs on alcohol whereas he has just a few.

“I have sung dozens of devotional songs. I released two devotional songs in the last 10 days. But no one is talking about that. Everyone on TV is only talking about ‘Patiala Peg’,” said Mr Dosanjh.

He said he will stop singing songs about alcohol if all states ban liquor.

“Let’s start a movement. If all states declare themselves as dry state, from the next day, Diljit Dosanjh will stop singing songs on alcohol at live concerts. I have another offer. Declare dry day for a day in whichever city I perform, I won’t sing songs about alcohol,” said the singer.

Ahead of Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Dil-Luminati’ concert in Hyderabad on Friday, the Telangana government has served him a legal notice, directing him not to sing any songs promoting alcohol, drugs, and violence.

The notice was issued after a complaint was filed by a Chandigarh-based professor, Panditrao Dharenavar, against Dosanjh to prevent him from singing such songs at the live show.

According to the notice, issued on November 7 by the district welfare officer of the Department of Welfare of Women and Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens, Rangareddy district, video evidence was submitted by the complainant showing Diljit singing songs promoting alcohol, drugs, and violence during the live show at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 26 and 27.

“We are issuing this notice in advance to deter promoting these in your live show,” the notice said.

In the notice, Diljit has also been directed not to bring children on stage during his concert.

“According to the World Health Organisation, adults should not be exposed to sounds with a peak sound pressure level above 140 decibels. For children, the level is reduced to 120 decibels. Therefore, children should not be used on stage during your live show where peak sound pressure is above 120 decibels,” it said.

“Your concert guidelines say that children are allowed below 13 years of age. Concert guidelines also say that concerts may include loud sounds and flashing lights – both of which are harmful to children,” the notice added.

Diljit Dosanjh is set to hold the ‘Dil-Luminati’ concert on Friday at 7 pm in GMR Arena, Airport Approach Road in Hyderabad.

The singer landed in the city on Wednesday and shared a glimpse of his city tour on social media. In a video on X, Diljit can be seen taking an auto-rickshaw ride and visiting the famous Charminar.

Controversial British-American influencer Andrew Tate is once again in the eye of a storm for a racist comment he made on a video in which Punjabi rockstar Diljit Dosanjh was seen gifting his jacket to a fan.

Mr Dosanjh, currently on his 2024 India Tour, shared the moment with a female fan during his Delhi concert. The video, which has been circulating on social media, shows the singer handing over his jacket to the emotional fan, with her husband also visibly moved by the gesture.

However, the beautiful moment was marred by Andrew Tate’s disturbing comment on an X post. Tate, known for his misogynistic views, wrote, “Bet it stinks of curry,” referring to the jacket Mr Dosanjh gifted to his fan.

Bet it stinks of curry

— Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) October 29, 2024

The internet didn’t take the comment lightly.

A user wrote, “Still smells better than sexual misconduct.”

still smells better than sexual misconduct

— Rishsane (@TheRishabhAnand) October 30, 2024

Another taunted, “Which is worst? A pedo or currified jacket?”

Which is worst? A pedo or currified jacket? Go back to pimping

— Crypto Guru (@EatHealthyGetR1) October 29, 2024

Last month, Andrew Tate was accused of rape by two British women. These accusations surfaced amid ongoing investigations into his activities, including charges related to sex with minors and trafficking underage individuals.

The Tate brothers were already facing serious charges that could lead to over ten years in prison if convicted. Despite the numerous allegations against him, Tate consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming he never engaged in non-consensual acts.

Earlier, the controversial social media personality was involved in a public spat with Indian-American doctor Kirti Patel. This exchange was triggered by Tate’s shirtless photo captioned, “I don’t sleep with vaccinated women.” Dr Patel criticised his physique, expressing her aversion to “gym bros” with “ripped abs.” Tate responded by mocking Dr Patel’s appearance in a series of tweets, saying, “I’m super disappointed that I’m not attractive to you Kirti. I was only trying to make my arms as big as your nose.

Pop star Diljit Dosanjh walks in through the half-opened gate. A quick namaste follows, then a handshake, and a few steps later he covers the BJP leader Jaiveer Shergill in an embrace, shows a video.

The Punjabi artist, wearing a red turban and an all-black ensemble with white sneakers, was visiting the BJP spokesperson’s home in Delhi today, a day after he sold out his two back-to-back concerts in the national capital over the weekend as part of his “Dilluminati” tour.

“Punjabi Aagayee Oyee ! Touched by respect shown by my friend & superstar @diljitdosanjh to my entire family at my house in Delhi humbled, Waheguru Mehr Rakhe,” Mr Shergill posted on X, with a video of Diljit’s visit to his home.

Punjabi Aagayee Oyee ! Touched by respect shown by my friend & superstar @diljitdosanjh to my entire family at my house in Delhi humbled , Waheguru Mehr Rakhe pic.twitter.com/w1v9zPesk5

— Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) October 28, 2024

In the video, the 40-year-old singer, who in 2023 became the first Punjabi artist to perform at the Palm Springs-based music festival Coachella, is seen meeting the BJP leader’s family and exchanging pleasantries.

“He is the pride of Punjabis. He is our identity. He is symbol of humility and humbleness. I would urge the youth to learn this from him,” says Mr Shergill in the video. Then he turn to the singer, and says, “I want to say you inspire millions of people.”

“You also inspire,” Diljit, who also is the first Indian artiste to feature on Billboard Canada, responds.

A day earlier, Mr Shergill’s father was seen dancing at the superstar’s concert in the city as seen in a video posted by the leader.

“My dad vibing at @diljitdosanjh show !! Thanks bhaji for bringing a smile to his face, for making everyone dance their hearts out, for making everyone celebrate music & most importantly for telling the youth that hardwork & kindness can do wonders!” said the BJP leader.

My dad vibing at @diljitdosanjh show !! Thanks bhaji for bringing a smile to his face, for making everyone dance their hearts out, for making everyone celebrate music & most importantly for telling the youth that hardwork & kindness can do wonders !

Punjabi Aa Gaaye Oyee ! pic.twitter.com/KbFEmE5gVg

— Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) October 28, 2024

Diljit has been performing on tour around the world in venues in the US, the UK, Canada, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.