Renowned rapper, lyricist and actor, who earned immense wealth as well as crores of fans across the world at a young age, Sidhu Musewala had joined the Congress before the Punjab Assembly Elections: 2022 last year, but his admirers remained in the village of Mansa district. Extremely shocked by the broad daylight shooting of his death in Thar on the road in Jawaharke.
The full name of this singer, who is also in controversies with popularity, is Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu but he was famous by the name Sidhu Moosewala. He was only 28 years old but he was a very popular rapper, songwriter and actor. Born in a farmer’s family living in village Musa in Mansa district, Moosewala had millions of fans all over the world apart from India, even though the songs were in Punjabi. He was one of the most expensive Punjabi singers. He was an electrical engineer. He did his graduation in 2016 from Sri Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana. Then he moved to Canada where his first song was released in 2017.
His father Bhola Singh is a retired government employee and is now a farmer while his mother Charan Kaur is the village sarpanch who won the election in December, 2018 by 600 votes. In April 2019, Pandit Rao Dharnavar, a social activist, filed a complaint in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, demanding a ban on gun culture and inflammatory songs in his songs. He even wrote to the Director of Panchayat and Rural Development Department-Punjab that his mother is the village sarpanch. On this Musewala’s mother had sent him an apology on behalf of her son and it was also written in it that now he will sing the voice of Guru Nanak Devji. Pandit Rao says that even when Moosewala is no more, the gun culture and vulgar songs will continue to be sung in Punjab.
Moosewala has always been in controversies regarding his music as most of his songs have it all. But on May 4, 2020, two videos of him were widely shared, in one of which he was seen driving an AK-47 in which five police personnel were also with him. In another, he was seen showing his personal pistol. After that, on May 19, 2020, six police personnel were suspended while Moosewala was booked under Arms Act at Barnala police station as it happened in Barnala itself. He was granted regular bail in July 2020 and later joined the investigation. Even in June of the same year, he was fined for putting black glasses in his car but despite being wanted in the Arms Act case at that time, he was released after recovering the fine.
Moosewala was still embroiled in controversy when a song titled ‘Sanju’ came out in July, 2020, in which he called the FIRs registered against him an honor for himself. Olympic shooter Avneet Kaur Sidhu also criticized her for using guns in her songs. In March 2020 too, Musewala sang a song titled ‘Gawacheya Gurbaksh’ in which he referred to Gurbaksh Singh, who returned from Italy, who later became the first person to die of corona infection. Even his songs were widely publicized by the Punjab Police. On 12 April this year too, he came into controversy when his video ‘Scapegot’ appeared in which he had called voters a traitor, due to which he was accused of losing votes.
He remained in controversies due to his rivalry with Karan Aujla. In September 2019 also, he came into controversy for making an objectionable use of ‘My Bhago’ in one of his songs. Later he himself apologized for it on social media and even appeared at Akal Takhat in March 2020.
It was Musewala who came out in his support during the farmers’ agitation against the central agricultural laws on September 25, 2020, when the Bharat Bandh was called. Then he took part in it in Mansa and later he was also seen at all the agitation sites. Later, many Punjabi singers supported the peasant movement on a large scale.
Apart from all this, Moosewala also appeared in some Punjabi films which include ‘Yes, I Am Student’, ‘Teri-Meri Jodi’, ‘Gunah’. He was in the lead role in the Punjabi film ‘Musa Jatt’ which was released in October, 2021 but the audience did not like much. Another of his film ‘Jattana Da Munda Gaun Laggeya’ was released in March 2022. In any case, his murder has now caused a wave of mourning among fans.