A few months after multiple dancers accused Diljit Dosanjh’s management of unpaid dues from his North American tour, dancer Shilpa Sajan has stepped away from the Europe leg of his ongoing Dil-Luminati Tour due to similar concerns.
Shilpa shared a lengthy post on her Instagram, expressing her disappointment. Captioning her note, she wrote, “An opportunity I was super excited about, but the dance industry has shown its true colours once again. Riddled with unprofessionalism, egos, total disrespect for dancers and being told ‘that’s just how Indians work.’ No celebrity is worth giving up your self-respect @diljitdosanjh.”
She explained how she was aware of the payment controversies from Diljit’s North America tour when she was offered the role of a backup dancer for the Europe tour. Despite being assured that this was a paid opportunity, she soon discovered the £80 wage was insufficient to cover her expenses, especially as she had to manage her own accommodation and international travel.
“I have never worked with such an unprofessional and disrespectful management team in my life. Everything was a mess,” Shilpa wrote. She further detailed how communication with the management was poor, with messages being ignored, dancers being cut at the last minute, and a lack of rehearsals that compromised the performances. According to Shilpa, these issues reflect a larger problem in the dance industry where dancers are treated as “objects.”
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Shilpa’s post received widespread support on Instagram. One user commented, “Thank you for valuing yourself & your skill above these 5 mins of clout!” Another highlighted the exploitation of artists, saying, “Exploiting artists in the name of exposure has been happening for far too long. And especially with Diljit, who mentions in all his interviews that all his earnings go in his shows—yet, why aren’t people getting their fair share?”
Other comments praised Shilpa for her courage, with one reading, “Proud of you for standing up for yourself as hard as it may be,” and another remarking, “This is incredibly frustrating and disappointing. I almost ended up doing the tour myself and know several girls who went through it—stories of 2am rehearsals, misinformation, and being messed around by management were all too common.”
One user added, “After all the backlash earlier this year, you think they would’ve sorted themselves out, but evidently not.”
Despite the ongoing controversy, Diljit Dosanjh is set to begin the India leg of the Dil-Luminati Tour starting October 26 in New Delhi. The tour will conclude with a final show in Guwahati on December 29, with sold-out performances expected throughout.
