Why is Daler Mehndi upset with Diljit Dosanjh? Here's what we know

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Daler Mehndi, a singer, voiced his disappointment with Diljit Dosanjh's choice to chop his hair despite his enormous popularity. Diljit starred with short hair in the critically acclaimed film Amar Singh Chamkila, which premiered earlier this year.

Diljit played the dead folk musician of the same name, whose music was outlawed in Daler's family. Chamkila was noted for utilising double entendre in his songs, and Daler said that he was not permitted to listen to his music growing up.

In an interview with The Lallantop, he was asked if he remembered any anecdotes regarding Chamkila's achievements. He said, “He was a trendy new singer in the market. He earned a name for himself. But basically, 99% of his songs were double-meaning. My parents wouldn’t allow me to sing those songs at home.”

Chamkila's music has sparked controversy throughout his career, which the film addresses. Chamkila was murdered by gunmen in 1988 while watching a concert in Punjab's Mehsampur village.

When asked about Diljit's performance in the film, Daler responded, “I don’t understand. He keeps saying that he will never remove his pagdi, he presents himself as a devotee… But I don’t understand why he cut his hair for the Chamkila movie. I don’t think he should’ve done it. I have a big movie coming up myself, and I’m keeping my pagdi.”

In a previous interview with Radio Nasha, Imtiaz Ali emphasised that Diljit did not chop his hair for the part and instead wore a wig. He stated, “I would not want to share his personal details, but yes, Diljit has worn a wig. That wig is like his turban only. He has not sacrificed a single hair for this film. Because he played a character and he knew how Chamkila looked, so he managed to look the part with a wig. He donned the look very sincerely and with very good intentions.”

Diljit has recently been criticized for his songs' lyrics. Telangana authorities issued a notice prohibiting him from singing songs with inappropriate lyrics.

He addressed the topic at one of his appearances, saying, “I just request you that if you are so eager to add censorship to our songs, can you please do that to Indian films as well? Today, a star is defined by the length of his weapon in the movie. The bigger the gun, the greater the star. Also, please remind me which actor today hasn’t done a scene with alcohol or cigarette. I can’t remember any such name. I will stop singing all my songs with alcohol references the day you ban it from movies too.”