‘I'll stop singing about alcohol if it's banned in India,’ says singer Diljit Dosanjh

Indian singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh recently shared his opinions on his alcohol-based song Patiala Peg after the Telangana government sent him notice before the Hyderabad event.

The actor and musician responded to the continuous criticism of the references to alcohol in his songs. He also criticized the Telangana government for its notice.

The musician shared a video on Instagram discussing how easy it was for him to alter the lyrics of his songs.

Speaking at his concert in Ahmedabad, he also disclosed that he doesn't drink alcohol and doesn't promote it. He said that he would stop singing about alcohol entirely if it were banned in India.

“Even today, I won’t sing any song about alcohol. That’s because Gujarat is a dry state. I have sung dozens of devotional songs. In the last 10 days alone, I released two devotional tracks, but no one talks about that. Everyone on TV is only focused on the song Patiala Peg,” said Diljit.

“I never personally called anyone and asked if they drink. I’m just singing a song. Bollywood has plenty of songs about alcohol, and I might have one or two. That’s it,” he added.

Diljit continued, “I won’t even sing those songs. It’s easy for me to tweak the songs, bro. Also, I don’t consume alcohol myself. Bollywood celebrities promote alcohol in advertisements, but I don’t. Don’t poke me. I quietly do my program and leave.”

“Let’s start a movement—if all states ban liquor consumption completely, I will never sing a song about alcohol again in my entire life. Is this possible? During COVID, everything was closed except liquor shops. You can’t fool the youth. If not a complete ban, then at least declare a dry day in your state on the day of my performance, and I will refrain from singing any alcohol-related song,” said the singer.

Earlier, the Telangana government issued a legal notice to Diljit just hours before his performance on Nov 15, instructing him not to perform songs promoting alcohol, drugs, and violence during his concert in Hyderabad.

His songs, such as Patiala Pegg and Panchatara, were specifically mentioned in the complaint.