Singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh has faced considerable, publicly-discussed opposition to his songs and films from different government authorities and organisations. For example, the Telangana government banned him from performing songs glorifying drugs, alcohol, and/or violence. On the other hand, his film Sardaar Ji 3 has not released in India following a controversy over the involvement of Pakistani actor Hania Aamir in it. His other film, Punjab '95, has faced significant censorship as well and is yet to release in theatres.
Despite facing all this opposition, Diljit Dosanjh goes about his work without much fuss, recently highlighting it on the Jimmy Fallon show. In a conversation with the popular American television host, Diljit discussed his journey as a singer.
Diljit spoke about having a jam-packed audience for one of his concerts in Vancouver, Canada. He said that the concert venue is adjacent to the location of the 1914 Komagata Maru incident. For your information, back then, a ship carrying scores of Sikh passengers from Punjab were denied entry to Canada. When the passengers went back to India, they faced imprisonment and violence.
Diljit alluded to the significant change in Canada's religious tolerance, drawing a parallel between the number of people who attended his concert in Vancouver and the Komagata Maru incident. "That's a big thing for us now, that 55,000 people attended our concert at one stadium there. You didn't allow us to come back then, and now, we're here," Diljit said, eliciting thunderous applause from the audience.
Diljit also confirmed that a course has been taught about him at a Toronto-based university. "I've never gone to college or university. I'm tenth pass, that's why my English is bad," the actor-singer said, drawing big laughs from viewers. Diljit added that he does not know what the university teaches about him either.
When Fallon asked him what message he would like to convey to the world, Diljit said, "My message is just love, forgiveness, and respect."
The actor-singer's comments drew a supportive response from actor Dia Mirza. Taking to her Instagram Stories, Dia shared the clip featuring Diljit's remarks and wrote, "This is how one uses their celebrity. Thank you Diljit Dosanjh."