"They have a love-hate relationship"
Indian singer Mika Singh has condemned Sonu Nigam’s claim that Bhushan Kumar is India’s “music mafia.” Instead, he said their relationship is like “husband and wife.”
Mika shared a lengthy statement via his spokesperson stating that Sonu should not give out the wrong message of Bollywood and its music industry.
The singer recalled his own journey into Bollywood saying:
“In life, everything happens in its own time. I came to Mumbai in 2007 and filmmaker Sanjay Gupta gave me a break in his film Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007).”
Recently, Sonu shared a video on Instagram in which he accused T-Series boss Bhushan Kumar of running a mafia-like institution in the music industry.
However, despite the favouritism debate in Bollywood, Mika believes that many new singers have achieved success and fame. He said:
“Sonu Nigam is saying he is not getting any songs but there are so many new singers who have gained immense popularity in the industry.
“There is Arijit Singh, Arman Malik, now, of course, B Praak has made a name for himself.
“And apart from that, our singers from Punjab are continuing to do excellent work.
“Ab B Praak toh industry ke kisike bua ke beta nahi hai. Bohot logon ka naam horaha hai and un mein se kaafi logon ko Bhushan Kumar ne hi break diya hai.
[B Praak is no one in the industry’s aunty’s son. He has beat many people and some of them got their breaks from Bhushan.]
“Music labels can only give you a break but after that what happens with the song or the singer, whether they become successful or not, is not unto the label.”
Speaking about the beauty of Mumbai, Mika added:
“Mumbai is such a beautiful city that I have not met anyone till date, who came here looking for work and didn’t get any.
“Mumbai ka itna bada dil hai ki yeh sabko sama leta hai apne andar. [Mumbai has got such a big heart that it holds onto everyone.]
“The government and police of this city are so brilliant that nowhere else will you find the freedom that you get in this city.”
Jokingly, Mika further added:
“Sonu Nigam ji and Bhushan Kumar are like boyfriend girlfriend or husband and wife.”
“Whenever they fight, you should let them be. Sonu Nigam ko banana wale phi Bhushan Kumar the. [Bushan Kumar made Sonu Nigam.]
“So, since then, they have a love-hate relationship and we should not get into it.”
However, Mika Singh does not agree with Sonu’s views. He said:
“He shouldn’t give a wrong message to the world that Bollywood is ruled by mafias. We have got everything from his industry and this city, we must not diss it.
“Even Bhushan Kumar’s family came from Delhi and found so much success in Mumbai.”
Mika further added:
“The top actresses in Bollywood today like Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif are all outsiders.
“It’s just that some people get success while others don’t. Everyone needs a break and after that everything is based on talent.
“Every two years, I see a singer who becomes momentarily popular with millions of views and then disappears.
“But singers like Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu and Sonu Nigam have been singing for so many years.
“Our industry is made of legends such as Lata Mangeshkar and the likes, so we should not disrespect it.”
While Mika Singh did not agree with Sonu’s views, many others like Adnan Sami have supported him.