Mika Singh opens up about plight of celebs and the fear that has engulfed the industry
Singer Mika Singh is heartbroken about the death of singer Sidhu Moosewala in a shooting incident, and shares his worries about the gangster nexus targeting celebrities. “It is not just Sidhu who was getting threats; a lot of Punjabi singers, including Gippy Grewal and Mankirt Aulakh, have also received threats. The incident (Moosewala’s murder) should be a wake-up call for everyone,” says Singh, whose security has been beefed up as a precaution.
“Gangsters often demand money from singers in Punjab. Jaise hi aap hit hote ho, ya shows chalne shuru hote hain, threats aane shuru ho jaate hain. For instance, recently, Gippy’s film became a huge hit, and uske baad hi usko threat aa gaya, and security tight ho gayi,” he continues, “Earlier, we used to hear about Mumbai’s underworld. Ab woh underworld Punjab mein shuru ho gaya hai. Kal ko celebs will stop coming to Punjab for shooting or shows.”
He reveals that he has to live with the regret that he didn’t ask
Moosewala to move to Mumbai when he last interacted with him in May. “He came to meet me in Mumbai and was happy that he travelled alone from the airport to my home. He even asked me how I deal with such threats… Now, I feel bad that I didn’t ask him to shift to Mumbai,” shares Singh, who is currently filming a reality show in Rajasthan.
The singer feels celebrities have become easy targets, and asserts, “I am telling you from personal experience, dealing with threats is difficult... Ab aisa dar ho gaya hai ki anyone who goes to Punjab will think about this incident. I am not blaming the government, but the question is: are we safe in Punjab?”
Singh points out that the gangster nexus has become prevalent in the last six years in “Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh” and celebs make for easy targets. “In fact, artistes do give them the money they demand. But we need to get hold of these people,” he says, reiterating that a sense of fear has engulfed the industry. “Sab dare hue hain. Kuch toh post bhi nahin kar rahe hain dar ke maare. Now, many will give the gangsters what they want, and not file a complaint against them. We need to speak up about it and find a solution, instead of getting into blame game,” he concludes.