Debate Over Diljit Dosanjh's High Ticket Prices For India Tour

Tickets for the India leg of Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh's Luminati Tour sold out within minutes on Thursday. Mumbai-based comedian and social media influencer Saum Sahni reacted to the high prices of these tickets in a video shared on Friday. She criticised Diljit for charging exorbitant amounts, stating that many of his fans are either unemployed or have limited financial means.

Saumya expressed her frustration by saying, "I regret saying this later, but I absolutely have to ki ek Indian artiste ka koi haq nahi banta ki woh 20-25 hazar rupaye ek concert ke charge kare jab woh six cities play kar rahe hai. Woh teen sets play kar sakte hai. Kyunki aapke core audience ke paas paisa nahi hai, employment nahi hai, ek bohut hi limited means of entertainment hai. Bohot hi kam artistes hai joh iss desh ke liye, unki language mein perform kar pate hain. Aur uske baad ek middle-class insaan ka koi access nahi hai us artiste tak (No Indian artiste should charge ₹20-25 thousand for one concert in India when they are playing in so many cities. They can do more sets in each city because your audience has no money or employment and limited means of entertainment. To see someone like him sing in our language means a lot but middle-class people have no access to him)."

Saumya further elaborated, "It is very wild to me that an artiste jiska concert bachche bhi dekhne jaa sakte hain, ek middle class family dekhne jaa sakti thi... they make so much money overseas that they could exempt these things for the country. Like bahar artiste ke sau-dedh sau dollar ke ticket hote hain, ki bas utna hi jitna ek set up ke liye chahiye. Lollapalooza ke passes kitne kam ke hain eine bade lineup ke baad bhi (Kids and families could have gone for his concert. He makes so much money with his overseas shows that he could have been more considerate towards his fans in India and charged a little less. In comparison, international artists charge around $100-150 for a ticket. Lollapalooza passes, too, cost less despite the massive lineup of performances)." She added the text ' ₹15K for a concert? In this economy???? In this country?" to her video.

Many viewers agreed with Saumya's assessment. One Instagram user commented, "He's gonna realise this when he's singing and nobody sings back." Another remarked, " ₹500 max. Don't watch it; it costs more than that. I will watch it on YouTube." A comment also read, "Being a middle-class person never expected Diljeet to be so drowned in fame and money lust." Another user said, "This is actually quite a fair assessment. Nirvana as a band always ensured their ticket prices remained extremely low so that their ACTUAL fans could attend the concert and not just people who could afford it."

Earlier in September, Diljit Dosanjh announced the dates for the Indian leg of his Dil-Luminati Tour. Tickets went on presale on September 10 and were available for general purchase on Thursday afternoon. The tickets sold out quickly, with many fans expressing their excitement on X (formerly Twitter) about the 'insane craze' for Diljit's tour.

The tour will begin at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on October 26 this year. After Delhi, it will move to Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Pune, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Indore, Chandigarh, and Guwahati.

Saumya Sahni's comments highlight concerns about accessibility and affordability for middle-class fans who wish to attend concerts by popular artists like Diljit Dosanjh.