When Sonu Nigam refused a major award for Roop Kumar Rathod

In the late 1990s, Sandese Aate Hain from Border became something larger than a film song. It travelled far beyond the movie theatre — into homes, army camps and school functions. Its power lay in the feeling it instilled in us, carried quietly by two loved voices of India: Sonu Nigam and Roop Kumar Rathod.

Sonu Nigam refused an award for Sandese Aate Hain because they sidelined Roop Kumar Rathod

When the song began receiving award attention, only one of those voices was singled out. Sonu Nigam’s name appeared on nomination lists but Roop Kumar Rathod’s did not. Sonu declined the recognition.

There was no public statement, or any attempt to turn the decision into a headline. He simply maintained that a song sung by two people should not be honoured as though it belonged to one.

Bollywood industry is where awards often become shorthand for legacy, and this was a small but telling moment. Sandese Aate Hain is structured as a dialogue, of two emotional registers speaking to the same absence. Roop Kumar’s measured, classical phrasing lends the song its gravity and Sonu’s warmth makes it immediate. And if you remove either, the balance collapses.

Sonu’s refusal did not question the value of awards themselves, but the very idea of partial recognition. The industry has a habit of casually sidelining senior, classical or less “marketable” voices — especially when a younger, more visible star is available to front the success. Roop Kumar Rathod, for all his pedigree, didn’t fit the poster-boy mould and Sonu knew that. So, instead of playing along, he drew a line.

Roop Kumar Rathod has since spoken about the gesture with quiet appreciation. Sandese Aate Hain still lives in our hearts not because of trophies attached it won, but because of the integrity of the performance. And in stepping aside, Sonu Nigam seemed to recognise that integrity mattered more than individual applause.

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