A cultural evening in New Tehri has turned into a talking point after a minister stopped Daler Mehndi mid-performance. The clip is circulating, and now a string of Bollywood and Punjabi industry names have taken sides.
What happened on stage
Daler Mehndi was performing at the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair on Sunday night when Uttarakhand cabinet minister Subodh Uniyal interrupted him. The minister later told ANI that the singer appeared disoriented, unsteady and was mostly lip-syncing. On stage, he asked, “You cannot even speak, so how are you going to sing?”
That one line has become the flashpoint of the row.
Rajpal Yadav’s response
Rajpal Yadav shared a video in Hindi to support the singer. He said Daler Mehndi does not drink alcohol and has been dealing with health issues. The actor also said he has worked with Daler on Welcome To The Jungle and argued that art cannot be bought.
The message was direct: public figures carry a responsibility, and a humiliating rebuke from a stage does not suit the position.
Who else is speaking up
Daler Mehndi has also found public support from several industry peers.
- Anupam Kher
- Sona Mohapatra
- Badshah
- Mika Singh
Their criticism has been aimed less at the event and more at the language used to call out the singer.
The ₹35 lakh context
Subodh Uniyal told ANI that Daler Mehndi was paid ₹35 lakh for the Navratri performance. His argument was that an artist taking that fee should deliver a genuine performance, not a lip-synced set. It is a fair backstage conversation. Making it public from the stage turned a production issue into a viral moment.
What event teams can learn
Live shows go wrong for many reasons, from health to sound trouble. How the team responds is what shapes the story afterwards.
- Raise performance concerns with an artist’s manager before or after the set, not on an open mic.
- Ask about health or production context before assuming intoxication.
- If a public comment has already landed badly, a prompt, factual clarification usually de-escalates faster than silence.
Daler Mehndi’s peers are making the health angle central, while the minister has explained his side. What is left is a simple etiquette question: should performance feedback ever become a public spectacle?
Source: Hindustan Times
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