New Delhi: On 18 June 2020, singer Sonu Nigam posted a video in which he made allegations about the favouritism in India’s music industry and, referring to actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, said there could be many such suicides in India’s music industry. Calling the industry “a bigger mafia than films”, he said only two music companies run it.
Days later, he posted another video in which he accused major music company T-Series’ managing director Bhushan Kumar of maligning his name for coming out with these allegations, and made a series of claims about Kumar’s past. Now, Kumar’s wife, Divya Khosla Kumar, has posted an angry response video on her Instagram page.
In the 11-minute long video, titled “The Bitter Truth #Sonunigam”, actor-filmmaker Khosla Kumar said T-series has given a break to many newcomers and that, as of today, “97 per cent people working in T-Series are outsiders, not industry kids”.
She turned the tables on him and said, “You are such a legend. How many people have you given a break to?” And then answered this question herself, “No one.” She added that Nigam in his entire career has only ever promoted and looked out for himself.
She reminded Nigam that he himself was an outsider who was given a break by T-Series. She challenged him to deny that he used to sing at Delhi’s Ramleela for Rs 5 and it was there that slain T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar spotted him, recognised his talent, paid for his flight ticket to Mumbai and told him he would make him a major artiste.
T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar was shot dead on 12 August 1997, following which the music company suffered severe losses. In her video, Khosla Kumar went on to allege how Nigam, instead of sticking around to help the company that gave him a break, jumped ship and went to another record label. “(Nigam) joined another music company instead of helping (Gulshan Kumar’s son) Bhushan Kumar during T-Series’ trying times,” she said.
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War of the Instagram videos
In his initial video, Sonu Nigam had said, “The producers, directors and music composers want to work with new talent, but since they don’t have a tie-up with a music company, they are unable to. The entire power is with only two companies and two people. They decide who should sing and who shouldn’t.”
In his second video, which he captioned “Laaton ke MAFIA baaton se nahi maante”, he specifically named Bhushan Kumar.
“Now, I need to take Bhushan Kumar’s name. You’ve instigated the wrong person. You forgot that time when you came to my home and pleaded with me to do one album for you, pleaded with me to introduce you to Subrata Roy, Smita Thackeray, Bal Thackeray… Pleaded with me to save you from Abu Salem. Do you remember all this? I’m warning you not to engage with me in any manner. Hope you remember Marina Kuwar. I don’t know why she backed out, though the media knows. That’s how the mafia functions. I still have her video. Now if you mess with me, I will post that video on my YouTube channel. Don’t you dare mess with me,” he said. Kuwar is an actor who had accused Bhushan Kumar of sexual assault in 2018, when the #MeToo movement in India was at its peak.
In her response, Khosla Kumar asked Nigam: “Why would Bhushan ji come to you to save himself from underworld don Abu Salem? Did Sonu Nigam ji have relations with Abu Salem?” She added she would like an investigation into Nigam’s connections with the underworld.
Khosla Kumar also addressed the sexual assault allegations made against her husband, which she described as fabricated. She said while the movement was a very good one, it has been hijacked by opportunists, such as Nigam himself, who want to use it for their own personal agenda. “What is #MeToo Sonu ji? Should I accuse you of #MeToo? Should I say you are a #MeToo rapist? Will you turn into a #MeToo rapist then?” she demanded in the video.
Closer to the end of the video, she alleged that her husband has been facing death threats since Nigam released his statements, adding that she has also been threatened with rape and their children, too, are being threatened. She said she did not want to post this video, but was inspired by the Mahabharat. “The war is on,” she declares in the end.
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