Punjabi singer Sunanda Sharma recently alleged that Punjabi music producer Pinky Dhaliwal exploited her by withholding payments for her songs. Following this, the producer was arrested on Saturday. The singer has now opened up about why she made these allegations against him in an emotional social media post.
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Sunanda Sharma on her allegations against Pink Dhaliwal
Sunanda took to Instagram and stated that her case represents every middle-class artist who falls into the trap of ‘crocodiles’. She wrote in Punjabi, “This issue isn’t just about money; it is about the mental harassment I went through. This is about every artiste who comes from a middle-class family with dreams of building a career, only to fall into the trap of crocodiles. They make us work hard and build their own homes with our income. They treat us like beggars. Oh Waheguru, your people think of themselves as greater than you.”
Sunanda says she thought of ending her life
She further added, “They mentally harassed me. I would cry alone in my room for days and sometimes even thought of ending my life. But I still managed to keep a smile on my face. I understood that if I cried in front of people, I would find myself trapped by another crocodile.” She also urged all artistes who have ever been victims of such exploitation to come forward and speak up.
In her caption, the singer appealed to the government for help in securing her rightful earnings. She wrote, “For two years, I have been saying, ‘For God’s sake, please don’t do this.’ I appeal to the government—please help me get my dues. I thank our Chief Minister for listening to my problem. You didn’t just listen to my issue but to the voices of all those women who could never fight for their rights. Thanks to the Punjab media too for their support.”
All about Sunanda Sharma’s complaint against the producer
Pinky Dhaliwal, who runs companies like Mad4Music and Amar Audio, has been accused of unlawful, exploitative, and defamatory conduct, which Sunanda claims has caused her significant financial loss, mental trauma, and reputational damage. In her complaint, the singer alleged that the producer pressured her to perform at events without providing the rightful compensation. She stated, “Despite my earnings exceeding ₹250 crore during this period, the accused unlawfully took possession of all my income and withheld my rightful dues. Not a single payment was made to me directly. This blatant financial exploitation has severely impacted my financial stability and well-being.”
She further alleged, “Through my earnings, the accused has built considerable personal wealth solely by exploiting me financially. His sudden and unexplained accumulation of wealth is a direct result of his illegal actions, including the misappropriation of my earnings, unauthorised collection of performance fees, and manipulation of my financial rights.” The singer also claimed that whenever she demanded her dues, the producer threatened to ruin her career and tarnish her reputation in the industry.