The daughter of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s helper, Afsana Khan quickly made her name as a ‘rising star’ in the Punjabi pop music scene. Hers is an inspiring tale of the ‘Indian dream,’ one that shows hard work and perseverance pay off, no matter one’s circumstances.
And then, one day ago, a blemish appeared.
The 27-year-old singer was summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in an ongoing probe into the murder of Punjabi pop sensation Sidhu Moosewala, who was gunned down in his native village on 29 May this year. She is being questioned about her association with the ‘Bambiha’ gang, an organised crime group Moosewala allegedly shared close ties with. Bambiha is also an arch-rival of the Bishnoi gang, which allegedly orchestrated Moosewala’s murder.
Khan was reportedly grilled for five hours. However, she took to Instagram to deny links with the gangsters in question.
Also read: 5 DGPs in 10 months — why Punjab Police ‘musical chairs’ has triggered alarm
Moosewala’s ‘sister’
Anyone following Khan’s career would know she didn’t need Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss to taste success. She has produced Punjabi chartbusters like Titliaan, featuring Sargun Mehta and Harrdy Sandhu, Jaani ve Jaani and Chandigarh Shehr from 2019 to 2020—each grabbing between 20-85 million views on YouTube.
To say that Khan was a ‘close aide’ of Moosewala would be an understatement. She was reported to be his ‘rakhi sister.’ Moosewala also walked her down the aisle and gave her her first commercially successful song, Dhakka in 2019. Khan has also featured in Moosewala’s unreleased song Jandi Vaar, which was put on hold in August by the district court of Mansa, Punjab.
Her Facebook feed is splashed with photographs of Moosewala. And these photos are not from professional set-ups, but from casual meet-ups with the late singer in friendly settings. Three of these clicks show Khan talking to Moosewala’s photograph at his memorial service. She appears to be scolding him for calling it a day too soon.
Khan also filled in her rakhi brother’s shoes by performing at a show he had booked before his death. Khan performed instead of Moosewala and paid a tribute to him by singing Jagjit Singh’s Kahan Tum Chale Gaye. “I just finished my brother’s show,” wrote Khan in a short, heartfelt post on Instagram.
Also read: Crime, cult status, young death — Moose Wala killing brings focus on Punjab’s brutal gang feuds
A reality show whiz kid
Based out of Mohali, Khan is originally a resident of Badal Village in Punjab’s Muktsar District. She comes from a family of singers, and her brother Khuda Baksh is also one. He was the first runner-up of Indian Idol season 9 in 2016. Interestingly, Khan is not a professionally trained vocalist.
She rose to fame with big-ticket reality shows. She participated in PTC Punjabi’s Voice of Punjab 3 in 2012, and then Rising Star on Colors TV in 2015, finishing among the top seven. The show was judged by singers Shankar Mahadevan, Monali Thakur and Diljit Dosanjh, who were completely in awe of then-22-year-old Khan’s voice.
“She’s taking care of her family at the young age of 22 when most people are directionless,” remarked Dosanjh, while amplifying Khan’s struggle.
She also participated in Bigg Boss 15 last year and was known to be a melodramatic, feisty contestant who would often get a dressing down from host Salman Khan. Afsana tore off a contestant’s T-shirt once and even age-shamed actor Shamita Shetty, who described her as ‘mental’. She threatened to harm herself with a knife upon eviction and had to be pulled out of the house by crew members. She also got into a brawl with another contestant and threatened to pull up her shirt if he came physically close to her.
“Lies travel half the world before truth comes to the fore,” wrote a teary-eyed Khan on her Instagram after NIA concluded its questioning.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)