Daler Mehndi Row: Sona Mohapatra Refuses To Change Her Stance, Says 'Can't Abandon Accountability'

Singer Daler Mehndi faced renewed criticism after Uttarakhand Cabinet minister Subodh Uniyal pulled him up for his set at the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair in New Tehri on Sunday (October 18). The rebuke came after allegations that Mehndi had been drinking and could not sing.

The incident drew an outpouring of support for Mehndi from the film and music fraternity. Singer Sona Mohapatra, however, stood by her earlier comments on the controversy.

Sona Mohapatra stands by her earlier statement about Daler Mehndi

Mohapatra took to her Instagram handle to respond at length as backing for Mehndi grew. She said the reaction from fellow artists had pushed her to reflect on empathy, accountability and what she described as a wider tendency to be carried away by sentiment.

“There was my perspective on the Daler Mehndi incident, and then there seemed to be almost an entire fraternity of artists speaking in the opposite direction. The contrast was impossible to miss,” she wrote. She added that resisting the crowd felt draining.

“And yet, when did gratitude towards everything that makes all this possible become less important than protecting our own? When did empathy become a reason to abandon accountability?” she added.

Mohapatra also questioned the emotional tenor of the response. “And why are we, especially in India, so easily swept away by sentimentality? We seem to place such a premium on being moved that we sometimes forget to think,” she wrote.

She said compassion does not require setting judgment aside. Mohapatra added that she was glad for those who had taken the time to understand the nuance in what she wrote.

What had Mohapatra said about Daler Mehndi's performance row

As Daler Mehndi's controversy peaked on Wednesday, Mohapatra recalled watching Mehndi perform at the second edition of the Sufi Heritage Festival.

“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,” she wrote.