Daler Mehndi Uttarakhand controversy explained: What happened on stage and who said what
New Delhi: A controversy that began on a stage in Uttarakhand has now sparked a wider conversation in the entertainment industry about dignity, health and an artist’s responsibility towards an audience. Singer Daler Mehndi was performing at the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal when state Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal walked onto the stage and publicly questioned his performance. Uniyal alleged that the singer appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and was lip-syncing instead of singing live.
A video of the confrontation quickly went viral, triggering strong reactions. While Anupam Kher, Mika Singh, Kapil Sharma, Badshah, Harshdeep Kaur, Shaan and Palash Sen have spoken in Daler’s support, singer Sona Mohapatra has raised a different question, “Should respect for a veteran artist mean that concerns over a performance cannot be discussed?”
What happened at Daler Mehndi’s Uttarakhand performance?
Daler Mehndi was performing during the Maa Kunjapuri Mela in Tehri Garhwal as part of the Navratri celebrations when Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister and Narendranagar MLA Subodh Uniyal went on stage and objected to his performance. Uniyal accused Daler of performing after consuming alcohol and questioned the quality of his performance.
“There is a Durga Mata programme for Navratri, and you are singing at the event after drinking alcohol, which is not appropriate,” the minister said on stage.
“We called you so that our people could be entertained. You are making a fool of us. This is wrong. It’s wrong. You have a big name, we should respect that. You were called because you have a big name,” he added.
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Daler could be heard responding to the minister during the confrontation.
“Sir, I request you with folded hands…please leave the stage,” he said.
The video went viral and led to a controversy, with several Bollywood celebrities coming in support for the singer.
What did Subodh Uniyal say about Daler Mehndi?
Uniyal later explained his objection while speaking to ANI. He alleged that Daler appeared disoriented and was lip-syncing during the performance.
“He is a big artist. If a big artist doesn’t do justice to their art…He seemed disoriented on stage and didn’t seem to be able to even keep standing. Besides this, he was only lip-syncing to his songs. I told him that he is a big artist and he should do justice to his art; he had been offered ₹35 lakh to come and perform, but he was not even singing. So, I expressed my resentment,” Uniyal said.
Anupam Kher says Daler Mehndi ‘doesn’t drink’
Anupam Kher came out strongly in support of Daler, saying he had known the singer for around 25 to 30 years. The actor also revealed that Daler had been unwell for the past few years and said he knew about his health through a doctor they both knew.
“I can say he doesn’t drink and he’s one of the finest human beings. He is not well, and I personally know this because we have a common friend, a doctor, and I have met him there several times. He has been ill for 2-3 years. Maybe he had earlier commitments with the organisation and he couldn’t say no to them; that’s his professionalism, that he stuck with his commitment,” Anupam said.
एक-दो दिन पहले एक वीडियो देखा, जिसमें कोई मंत्री जी मंच पर दलेर मेहंदी जी से जिस तरह बात कर रहे थे, उसे देखकर बहुत दुख हुआ।
मैं दलेर जी को बहुत सालों से जानता हूँ। यह भी जानता हूँ कि पिछले कुछ समय से उनकी तबीयत ठीक नहीं रही है। मंत्री जी, आपको उनकी प्रस्तुति से शिकायत हो सकती है। नाराज़गी भी हो सकती है। लेकिन सबके सामने मंच पर जाकर इस तरह उन्हें अपमानित करना ज़रूरी था क्या? यही बात उनसे अलग बैठकर, इज़्ज़त से भी तो कही जा सकती थी।
एक कलाकार अपनी मेहनत से जो पहचान और सम्मान कमाता है, उसके पीछे पूरी ज़िंदगी लगी होती है। दलेर जी ने पिछले तीस-पैंतीस सालों से अपने गानों से हम सबको ख़ुशी दी है। उस योगदान की कुछ तो क़द्र होनी चाहिए।
दलेर जी, मैंने आपको हमेशा एक नेकदिल, प्यार बाँटने वाले इंसान के रूप में जाना है। जहाँ तक मैं आपको जानता हूँ, आप शराब भी नहीं पीते। आपको यह सब सहना पड़ा, इसका मुझे बहुत अफ़सोस है।
अपनी इंडस्ट्री के साथियों से भी कहना चाहूँगा—जो लोग दलेर जी को जानते हैं, वे अपनी बात ज़रूर रखें। उनके साथ खड़े हों। किसी के अच्छे स्वभाव के बारे में, उसकी इंसानियत के बारे में अपने अनुभव से दो शब्द कहना भी बहुत मायने रखता है। ऐसे वक़्त में एक साथी के लिए इतना तो हम कर ही सकते हैं।
दलेर जी, आप बेहतरीन कलाकार हैं और उतने ही प्यारे इंसान भी। अपना ख़याल रखिए। भगवान आपको अच्छी सेहत दे। मेरा प्यार और सम्मान हमेशा आपके साथ है। 🙏❤️— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) October 20, 2026
The actor argued that even if Daler had lip-synced, publicly reprimanding him was not justified.
“Maybe he did lip-sync, but nobody should speak to anyone like that. That too on a public forum, it’s not fair. To put allegations on someone like this is wrong. I think our industry should talk about this; it’s not only Mika Singh’s responsibility to defend his brother. We should all take a stand for the people that we know. I felt bad, and I want to tell you, Daler ji, that I trust your judgement, professionalism and your greatness and may God bless you and you get well soon. I am sorry you had to go through this,” he added.
In an Instagram post, Anupam also questioned why the matter could not have been handled privately.
“I have known Daler ji for many years. Also, I know they haven’t been feeling well for the past few days. Mr. Minister, you may have a complaint with his presentation. There can be anger as well. But was it necessary to go on stage and insult them like this? The same thing could have been said by sitting apart from them with respect,” Kher added.
Highlighting Daler’s contribution to music, he said, “An artist earns recognition and respect through his hard work; he takes his whole life. Daler ji has made us all happy with his songs for the past thirty-five years. That contribution should be appreciated. Daler ji, I have always known you as a kind-hearted, loving person. As long as I know you, you don’t even drink. You had to endure it all, I’m very sorry.”
Mika Singh denies alcohol allegation
Daler’s brother Mika Singh also strongly defended the singer and asked the media to verify allegations before reporting them.
“A special request to our media friends: Please verify the facts before publishing any news! If someone makes allegations without proof, please don’t believe them blindly or spread the news without checking the truth. The way Daler Mehndi was treated on stage was disappointing. A respected minister came on stage and made allegations about him drinking alcohol. But before publishing such claims, shouldn’t we verify the facts and give the artist a chance to present his side? Would anyone dare to behave like that with an international band like Coldplay?,” Mika said.
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Mika also said his brother had been dealing with health issues for around two years. “I know my brother Daler Mehndi, and he does not drink alcohol. He has been unwell for the past two years and is still recovering, yet he continues to perform with his band. These days, many performers use backing tracks, but nobody questions them in the same way,” he added.
Kapil Sharma reveals Daler underwent ‘serious surgery’
Kapil Sharma also defended Daler and indicated that the singer’s health could explain his appearance and speech during the performance. Sharing Mika’s video on Instagram Stories, Kapil wrote, “@thedalermehndiofficial paji went through some serious surgery which people don’t know. All we need is to be little kinder towards each other. We don’t know what someone is going through. Thank you @mikas ingh paji for the clarification. May God bless Daler paji 🥹🙏 We love you Daler paji ❤️🙏”
Kapil Sharma on Daler Mehndi controversy
In another message, Kapil wrote, “May god give Daler paji strength to recover fast and he will roar like a lion on stage soon. Shame on people who are spreading this fake news just for some views. God bless Daler paji.”
Sona Mohapatra also reacts
While several celebrities defended Daler, Sona Mohapatra offered a different perspective.
The singer recalled watching Daler perform at the second edition of the Sufi Heritage Festival in New Delhi. She said she and her team had specifically stayed back to watch his performance but found the experience “heartbreaking”.
“Artists rarely stay back after their own shows. We are usually on the next flight out. But Yasmin & Himanshu and their wonderful organising team very kindly accommodated our request to stay another night. We were genuinely excited to watch a legend perform what we had been told would be a very different, Sufi-oriented set. What unfolded was heartbreaking. From where we watched, Daler ji appeared disoriented, struggled to hold a note and kept repeating the same musical phrase. The overall production was also deeply disappointing. We watched audience members gradually leave, people who had paid good money and come with great expectations,” the singer said.
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Sona said neither she nor her team spoke about it at the time because they wanted to show respect to the veteran singer. However, the Uttarakhand controversy made her reconsider whether remaining silent was the right approach.
“And yet, none of us said anything. Not my team, not me. We stood there, uncomfortable and saddened, but silent. Out of respect. Which brings me to the uncomfortable part. Was that really respect? Or were we, through our silence, enabling something that deserved to be questioned? But watching the Uttarakhand controversy unfold, I find it curious that so much of the conversation has become about the indignity suffered by the artist, and so little about the expectations of the audience and the responsibility of those accepting substantial professional fees,” she wrote.
“Two things can be true. A veteran deserves dignity, empathy and gratitude for a lifetime of contribution. And an audience deserves an honest performance, or at the very least, an honest acknowledgement when that is no longer possible. If someone is unwell, there must be compassion and a responsible way to handle the situation. What cannot become acceptable is for audiences and organisers to repeatedly bear the consequences while everyone around the artist looks away,” she further added.
“I ask this as a fellow performing artist, fully aware that I may be criticised for saying it. Respect is not a one-way entitlement. It is a relationship of reciprocity. Age, legacy and stature deserve reverence. They do not exempt any of us from professional accountability. And those of us who remained silent that evening, myself included, need to ask whether our well-intentioned deference helped anyone at all. I share this with sadness, not malice. And with genuine respect for the extraordinary legacy of Daler Mehndi ji. But surely, we owe our audiences some respect too?,” she said.
Badshah calls public humiliation ‘disheartening’
Badshah criticised the way Daler was confronted in public and said disappointment with an artist’s performance could have been expressed differently. “Publicly humiliating an artist is extremely disheartening,” he wrote.
“Daler Mehndi is a legend. Period. You can express disappointment, but publicly humiliating an artist who has given so much to our music industry is extremely disheartening. Legends deserve dignity, especially when they are vulnerable. Respect always,” he added.
Harshdeep Kaur, Shaan extend support
Harshdeep Kaur also backed Daler and suggested that his condition during the performance indicated that he was unwell.
“Daler Mehndi is a Legend. It definitely seems like he was very unwell that day otherwise, when on stage… he not just sings… he roars,” she wrote.
Shaan also stood behind the singer, commenting, “Daler Paaji is the Original Rockstar !!!! He has shown the World how to Rock n Roar!!!”
Palash Sen says ‘even legends can fall ill’
Singer Palash Sen shared an emotional note defending Daler and reminding people about the person behind the public figure. “Dear Daler, To the world, you are a legend, a pioneer, and the King of Bhangra who brought joy and unforgettable music to millions across the globe. But to me, you are simply my brother-a person with a heart far bigger and kinder than most will ever know.”
He added, “Seeing the continuous trolling and negativity directed toward you hurts, but it also reminds me of how easy it is for people behind screens to forget the human being behind the icon. They see memes and headlines.. I see a man who has given his entire life, sweat, and soul to spreading happiness, uplifting culture, and serving through his art and philanthropy.”
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“Everyone has a bad day or ill health. Even legends can fall ill, but can’t disappoint their fans by not showing up. You showed up and tried to do your best. People may mock, criticize, or judge, but no amount of noise can erase your legacy, your kindness, or the unshakeable dignity with which you carry yourself. You have always taught us to respond to hardship with love, faith, and patience-and even now, your spirit remains untamed,” he said,
He further added, “To everyone quick to judge or laugh – behind every famous face is a real person. A fallible, vulnerable human. Please look at him with love and respect always. He is a gem of our country. My dear veer, stay strong. Circumstances are temporary, but love, respect, and your legacy are forever. I stand by you & love you today, tomorrow, and always. P.S- Daler paaji doesn’t touch alcohol. Never did. Never will.”