CoffeeSoul विप्रः

Diljit Dosanjh is a crafty operator. I have often heard Khalistani extremists on X Spaces discussing, among themselves in Punjabi, the need to conceal their real ideological positions from white audiences because they need their acceptance and support. The strategy, as they describe it, is to avoid alienating white and Christian communities while directing hostility towards Hindus under the guise of anti-India racism. These circles are among the most active drivers of anti-India and anti-Hindu sentiment online. Diljit appears to understand this game rather well. His concerts are increasingly becoming platforms for political messaging. At his Delhi concert, he invoked his controversial film Satluj, made remarks about Punjabi superiority and told the audience not to teach Punjabis how to fight their battles. And then, as if to neatly package the provocation, he followed it up with ‘I love you all’ and other affectionate platitudes. This seems to be his pattern. Make a politically loaded statement, soften the atmosphere with a few sentimental lines and expect the audience to overlook the messaging. During the promotions of Sardaar Ji 3 too, he made controversial remarks about looking beyond national borders and how art should transcend national boundaries, at a time when India and Pakistan were still dealing with heightened military tensions following Operation Sindoor. These remarks earned him considerable praise from Pakistani vloggers and celebrities hostile to India. This is hardly apolitical artistic expression. So let’s stop pretending that Diljit is merely an artist. He is increasingly behaving like a political actor, leveraging his fame, concerts, and cultural influence to advance a particular ideological narrative. The Sikh supremacist politics he appears to espouse cannot be sanitised by wrapping it in the language of artistic expression, Punjabi pride, or cultural identity. If he wants to enter the political arena, he should have the courage to do so openly. He cannot keep exploiting the privileges and goodwill afforded to an entertainer while using the stage to push political messaging and then hiding behind the convenient excuse that it is all just art. And those who continue to mistake this political posturing for innocent artistic expression should perhaps ask themselves whether they are being deliberately taken for a ride.