Sonu Nigam posts video of azaan from his home, sparks controversy yet again

Sonu Nigam tweeted a video of the sounds of azaan being heard from his home in an attempt to prove his earlier statements against the use of loudspeakers for religious purposes.

Sonu Nigam courted controversy again when he posted a 2-minute video, presumably from his house, in which azaan can be heard. The video was possibly in response to all those who questioned if he could even hear the sounds of the Muslim call to prayer from his home, after Nigam publicly spoke out against the disturbance caused by the use of loudspeakers for religious purposes.

Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam has invited the press to be present as he has his head shaved after a Muslim cleric announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh to anybody who could tonsure the singer, on April 19, 2017 in Mumbai, India. (Hindustan Times)

Sonu captioned the video, “Good morning India,” although it appears to have been shot either late evening or very early morning since it is dark.

Several of his contemporaries took stands against his opinion. Actor Kangana Ranaut, while defending his freedom of expression, said that she loves the sound of azaan. This was backed up by Javed Akhtar, who said that religion shouldn’t disturb anyone. Singers Shaan and Kailash Kher, however, supported Sonu. As did self-proclaimed film critic Kamaal Rashid Khan, who offered him the opportunity to compose every song for his next movie (KRK hasn’t made a movie since his 2008 film Deshdrohi), were he to be shunned from Bollywood.

On April 19, Sonu organised a press conference to document the shaving of his head. The controversy also led to public protests, and in one isolated incident, the stabbing of a man who supported the singer on Facebook.

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