Diljit Dosanjh's manager clears the air about not paying his dancers

Allegations have surfaced that the background dancers of Diljit Dosanjh's ongoing Dil-Luminati Tour are not being paid. Los Angeles entrepreneur Rajat Batta, who owns a few dance studios, shared social media posts about how disheartening it was to see Dosanjh's crew perform without remuneration.

In a post on Instagram, Batta wrote “deeply disappointed that Desi Dancers are still undervalued as an industry. All of the Desi Dancers in Diljit’s Diluminati Tour were not paid, and just expected to perform for free.” He added, “It’s really disappointing to see an artist of this caliber cut corners by stepping on throats of Desi Dancer industry and continue to attribute to that culture. Diljit, we are very happy for your success, but your dancers should have been paid and been a part of the production budget.”

Manpreet Toor, a Bhangra dancer also posted on this matter.

Some dancers, however, insisted that they decided to perform willingly and thanked Diljit for the opportunity. “While we appreciate the concern, we do not wish to be represented by the voices who don’t understand our relationship, our motivations, sacrifices, and the immense value we place on such experiences. We are proud of our participation and the new avenues it has opened for the Punjabi community. Do not try to break our bond. We stand united.” The post was signed by “All The Bhangra Teams & Captains.”

Dosanjh's manager Sonali claims neither Rajat nor Manpreet Toor were ever contacted or involved in the tour. The statement read, “Our official team never contacted Rajat Batta or Manpreet Toor who are presenting false narratives on social media. Rajat and Manpreet were not a part of the Dil-Luminati Tour in any way."

The official choreographers for the tour were Balwinder Singh, Preet Chahal, Divya, and Parth from Vancouver.