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Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh‘s most famous songs might be his Bollywood hits, but he is also known among his hardcore fanbase for his Punjabi-language music. In a recent interview, he spoke about the state of Punjab, and expressed dismay at the sorry hand that it has been dealt historically.
In an interview with Film Companion, Honey Singh spoke about how the situation has changed for him as well, and revealed that he has been told that he probably shouldn’t move around as freely as he used to. Last year, the assassination of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala once again brought the situation in Punjab to the nation’s attention. Honey also mentioned the 1988 assassination of singer Amar Singh Chamkila, on whose life Imtiaz Ali is now making a film.
Asked about the violence that permeates the musical state, Honey said in Hindi, “It isn’t just the artists that are suffering in Punjab. You people don’t know the ground reality. I know the ground reality. I have difficulty in going to Punjab these days because of how bad the situation is. India is a beautiful country, Punjab is a blessed state, the people are blessed. They’re hard working. But from the very beginning, foreign invaders targeted Punjab. The Afghans, Mohammad Ghori, where did they attack first? Punjab.”
He continued, “Punjab has been attacked, Punjab has been targeted, a conspiracy has been spun around Punjab. And now, it’s under the influence of drugs, there is violence, there are gangsters roaming around. It’s a flourishing state, the people work so hard, but what are they supposed to do? Which is why they leave for Canada, for England, for America. I pray for Punjab, I pray for peace in Punjab.”
Honey said that even though the situation in Punjab was bad in the 1980s and 1990s, when he was there, it was relatively better. He recalled that he and Alfaz wrote the song ‘This Party Getting Hot’ over a bottle of alcohol at a fish stand in Mohali. When he was in Punjab recently with Akshay Kumar, he asked Alfaz what the situation was like. “He told me, ‘It’s bad, you can’t roam around freely here’,” Honey said.
The singer is staging a comeback after several years spent under the radar, as he struggled with substance abuse and mental health. A documentary about his life, produced by Guneet Monga, will be released on Netflix later this year.
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