Sonu Nigam Vs Divya Khosla Kumar: The Irony of a Bitter Feud That Started With “Calls for Compassion”

Singer Sonu Nigam dropped a bombshell last week, alleging in a video uploaded to Instagram, the existence of a “music mafia” in the country.

In the clip, the singer had said a couple of companies were making life hell for young artists. He had ended with calls for compassion and kindness.

Unfortunately in the ten or so days since, the video has led to anything but, with allegations and vitriol now being exchanged between both sides online.

A few days after his first video, Sonu Nigam specifically called out T-Series chairman Bhushan Kumar. In a video titled “laaton ke MAFIA baaton se nahi maante”, he said Kumar had once asked him for protection against Abu Salem, as well as to be introduced to the late Balasaheb Thackeray, and Subrata Roy.

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A post shared by Sonu Nigam (@sonunigamofficial) on Jun 21, 2020 at 11:20pm PDT

He ends his video by threatening to release a video of actress Marina Kunwar, who had earlier accused Bhushan Kumar of sexual harassment.

In response, the T-series chairman’s wife, Divya Khosla Kumar uploaded a video to her own Instagram account, in which she said Sonu Nigam was a nobody when Bhushan Kumar’s late father discovered him.

“I want to tell everyone that Sonu Nigam used to sing in Delhi’s Ramlila for Rs 5. Gulshan Kumar ji spotted him, recognised his talent, bought him flight tickets to come to Mumbai and told him, ‘Beta, I will make you a very big artist!,’” she says in her video.

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A post shared by Divyakhoslakumar (@divyakhoslakumar) on Jun 24, 2020 at 7:23am PDT

She goes on to add that after the company’s founder was shot dead in 1997, Sonu Nigam left T-Series. “He signed up with another music label. He had no gratitude at all,” she claimed, before alleging that her husband asked the singer for help with Abu Salem, because it was assumed that he had links with the notorious terrorist.

Divya Khosla Kumar also brushed aside the #MeToo allegations, saying her husband was being blackmailed, and that he had decided not to take police action.

While her video — titled The Bitter Truth #SonuNigam — was uploaded without a comment section, on Wednesday night Nigam shared her clip on his Instagram, with the caption: “I think she forgot to open her comments. Let’s help her in that.” This led to serious attacks on her, including rape and violence threats.

His apparent invitation to trolls to attack the T-series chairman’s wife didn’t go down well with some sections of social media.

Whatever argument #SonuNigam is having with #DivyaKhoslaKumar there is no excuse for a man to gaslight his Instagram followers into abusing a woman. He knew what he was doing when he posted the video & caption.

— Asjad Nazir (@asjadnazir) June 25, 2020

Saw that #DivyaKhoslaKumar video. And am kinda with her. Primarily for two reasons – she makes sense, she is coming from a position of truth – the struggle of Bhushan Kumar is one we all did see.

But most importantly, I just don't like Sonu Nigam anymore. I doubt his intentions.

— richa singh (@richa_singh) June 25, 2020

In her video, meanwhile, Kumar has also said that since Sonu Nigam’s second video came out, her husband has been receiving death threats, she has been receiving rape threats, and even her child is being threatened on social media.

Her references to the Bhagavad Gita were also mocked online.

#divyakhoslakumar Devlok starts quoting Bhagavat Gita pic.twitter.com/H0K1MIJjts

— nishant mishra (@nishant27911324) June 25, 2020

#divyakhoslakumar quoting Shrimad Bhagavad Gita for defending Bhushan Kumar! pic.twitter.com/Od9V3m2FNu

— Akash Aggarwal (@aakkashaggarwal) June 25, 2020

With some serious allegations now being made on either side, it doesn’t seem like this controversy is about to die down soon. Sonu Nigam’s “call for compassion”, it seems, has now opened a fresh can of worms in an industry that’s already under a lot of public scrutiny.