Pooja Bhatt to Sonu Nigam: ‘church bells & Azaan spirit of India'

MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Pooja Bhatt took on Sonu Nigam on Tuesday whose 'Azaan' tweet a day earlier had sparked a row on social media with thousands of netizens commenting on it.

Sonu, in an early morning tweet had called 'Azaan' a 'forced religiousness' and said 'when will this end'.

God bless everyone. I'm not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the Azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India

— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 16, 2017

It didn't end here, when he was criticized heavily, he defended himself and said '[Holy Prophet] Mohammed [PBUH] did not have electricity when he made Islam.. Why do I have to have this cacophony after Edison?' and calling it 'Gundagardi' (hooliganism).

It didn’t go well with many celebrities including Pooja, who called 'church bells & the Azaan' the 'spirit of India'.

I wake each morning to the sound of church bells & the Azaan in a quiet by-lane of Bandra.I light an aggarbatti & salute the spirit of India

— Pooja Bhatt (@PoojaB1972) April 18, 2017

Sonu Nigam's comments triggered a highly polarized debate with a number of fans went on to his timeline to tell the 'self-avowed admirer of Sufi music that he had crossed a line'.

Under Modi, India is fast becoming an intolerant state where Muslims are now feeling strangled at the hands of Hindu extremists. With ban on cow slaughtering, the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has put a ban on beef shops in the state.

Gundagardi hai bus...

— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 17, 2017

I don't believe in any temple or gurudwara using electricity To wake up people who don't follow the religion . Why then..? Honest? True?

— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 17, 2017

And by the way Mohammed did not have electricity when he made Islam.. Why do I have to have this cacophony after Edison?

— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 17, 2017