Why did Sonu Nigam REJECT Filmfare award for Border’s iconic song Sandese Aate Hai?

Sonu Nigam is considered one of the most talented and respected singers of the Hindi film industry. Sonu started his career in the year 1992 by singing the song Hum To Chaila Ban Gaye for the Doordarshan show Talaash. In a career spanning over three decades, he has given his voice to all kinds of songs, including romantic, patriotic, painful and Sufi songs. Be it the title track of Kal Ho Naa Ho or Pardes’s Yeh Dil Deewana, Sonu Nigam breathed life into every song. But the song Sandese Aate Hain from J.P. Dutta’s 1997 film Border proved to be the turning point in his career. This song not only brought tears to the eyes of the audience, but also made Sonu Nigam known as a serious and emotional singer. His emotional voice in this song was highly appreciated.

Why did Sonu Nigam rejected Filmfare award for Sandese Aate Hai?

However, very few people know that Sonu Nigam had turned down the Filmfare Award for Sandese Aate Hai. Actually, when Sonu came to know that he is being given the Filmfare Award for this song, he first asked if Roop Kumar Rathod, who sang with him, will also get this honor. When he was told that Roop Kumar has not been nominated, Sonu directly refused to accept the award.

What did Sonu say about rejecting his Filmfare award?

In an old interview, Sonu Nigam had mentioned this incident and said that he felt that this song was sung by two singers together, so both of them should also get respect. He had said that if only one singer is given an award for the same song and the other is ignored, he will not accept such an award. That is why he refused to attend the film festival. In his words, “Ek gaane ko do logon ne gaaya hai, Sonu Nigam ko nominate kiya aapne, Roop ji ko kyu nahi kiya. Maine bola mai aa sakta hoon to bhi nahi aaunga.”

All about Sonu Nigam’s career

Sonu Nigam also said that Sandese Aate Hain changed both his life and career. He said, “This song (Sandese Aate Hai), this film (Border), this team has been a very auspicious team for me. I still haven’t forgotten. We sang this song 30 years ago. I sang this song in 1995. The film was released in 1997. I used to get songs then but not such important songs. This song gave me the title of a serious singer for the first time. People believed in me because of this song.”