Diljit Dosanjh is a global star at this point, thanks to his highly successful Dil-luminati Tour. However, the singer is in middle of a big controversy regarding the same tour. A Los-Angeles based choreographer has claimed that Diljit has not paid the bhangra dancers who performed at his shows.
Diljit Dosanjh has been accused of non-payment of dues by choreographer Rajat Batta. In an Instagram post, the LA based choreographer tagged Diljit and made the allegation. He wrote, “While we as a Desi Dance Community are really proud of a Desi Artist breaking glass ceilings and doing sold out tours across North America... I still feel deeply disappointed that Desi Dancers are still undervalued as an indusrty. All of the Desi Dancers in Diljit’s Dil-Luminati Tour were not paid, and just expected to perform for free... Desi Dance as an industry has become a lifeblood for artists and do a significant part in the entire ecosystem of the industry... while its choreography, stage performances, music videos, reels, to even promoting songs... It’s an essential part of production and it’s really disappointing to see an artist of this caliber cut corners by stepping on throats of Desi Dancer industry and continue to attribute to that culture.” “Diljit, we are very happy for your success, but your dancers should have been paid and been a part of the production budget,” the choreographer added.
Diljit Dosanjh’s bhangra teams were quick to respond to allegations. While their post does indicate that the non-payment part is likely true, they praised Diljit and his team and expressed support for the ‘Lover’ singer. “While we appreciate the concern, we do not wish to be represented by the voices who don’t understand our relationship, our motivations, sacrifices, and the immense value we place on such experiences. We are proud of our participation and the new avenues it has opened for the Punjabi community,” they wrote in a joint post.
Meanwhile, Diljit Dosanjh has concluded his Dil-Luminati Tour which included 13 sold-out shows. It was the biggest North American tour ever for a Punjabi artist and marked a milestone in his career. Besides, Dilji Dosanjh’s ‘Jatt and Juliet’ is running in theatres.