Popular veteran singer Daler Mehndi, who has given a generation a reason to dance to his foot-tapping Bhangra beats, has now found himself embroiled in controversy. Although Daler Mehndi is away from the limelight, his concerts are the only way Gen Z knows the icon well.
On Monday, Daler Mehndi was performing in Uttarakhand when, amid the stage performance, politician Subodh Uniyal stepped onto the stage and expressed his anger over the performance. The politician accused Daler of failing to sing properly and alleged that he was under the influence of alcohol. Videos of Daler Mehndi went viral, and netizens slammed the singer for allegedly drinking alcohol before the performance.
Addressing the online backlash, Daler Mehndi’s brother and singer Mika Singh argued that the veteran singer was physically unwell due to a recent major surgery. Highlighting Daler’s three-decade-long career as a superstar, Mika emphasised that his brother has never been associated with drinking and honourably fulfilled a professional commitment despite his fragile health.
Mika explained that artists frequently honour commitments regardless of physical exhaustion or illness. “We artists often say yes when someone asks us…Even if we have a 104-degree fever, it doesn’t matter. If I am sick and have a show, and I have already committed, then even if the budget is big or small, I will do it. He (Daler) must have done the same,” Mika said.
Refuting the intoxication allegations, Mika acknowledged that while the minister had every right to question the quality of the performance after paying for the event, branding the singer as drunk was entirely false.
He added, “Actually, we have had a very big operation. The minister, who was very amazing on the vehicle, came on the stage and said 'Aapse gaya nahi raha hai, mat kaao, us paise liye raha'. He accepted, but he said that he was drinking liquor. I would have challenged, if a band had said 'we have seen you drinking liquor', then I would have stopped singing. (He recently underwent a very major operation. A very prominent minister was present there, who came up on stage and scolded him, saying, 'You are unable to sing, don't sing, you took money from us'… Agreed, he spoke correctly. But do not claim that he is singing under the influence of alcohol. I challenge anyone—if even a single person can state, 'We have seen Daler drinking alcohol,' then I will quit singing).”
Actor and comedian Kapil Sharma has also expressed his support for singer Daler Mehndi amid the recent criticism over allegations that he performed under the influence of alcohol.
Kapil shared that Daler Mehndi underwent serious surgery and added that since most of the time, we do not know what someone might be going through, we should all make an attempt to be kinder to each other.
He wrote in the Stories section of his official Instagram handle, “@thedalermehndiofficial paaji went through some serious surgery that people don’t know. All we need is to be a little kinder towards others. We don’t know what someone is going through. (sic)”
Kapil also applauded Daler Mehndi’s younger brother, Mika Singh, for standing up for his brother and clearing the air.
“Thank you @m ikasingh paaji for the clarification. May god bless Daler paaji (halo and folded hands emojis. We love you, Daler paaji (Red heart and folded hands emoticons) (sic),” the Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon actor added.
Daler had reprised his iconic song Na Na Na Na Na Re in the 2024 comedy film Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video. The film featured actors Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri in key roles.