Shilpa Rao Concert Row: Kutle Khan Denies Role In Interrupted Set, Says He Followed Organisers' Instructions

Singer Kutle Khan has rejected claims that he or his team disrupted Shilpa Rao’s set at the Bollywood Music Project 2026 in Mumbai. The October 24 episode drew criticism after her microphone and stage lights went off while she was thanking the audience, even as Kutle’s band started playing on the second stage.

Kutle Khan reacts to Shilpa Rao concert row

In a video on Instagram on Tuesday, Khan said he had acted on the organisers’ directions and had no explanation for the abrupt end to Shilpa’s set. He also said his own time on stage was cut back at the last minute.

The singer said that he was being unfairly targeted. He stressed that the issue should not be turned into a personal dispute with Shilpa.

He said, “I would like to share my perspective on what actually happened there. All the respected artists who had come to perform had fixed time slots, and Shilpa’s timing was also fixed.”

Khan said he had first been allotted 20 minutes on stage, but was later told to finish in eight minutes.

“I said there was no problem because I had to follow the instructions of the festival organisers,” he added.

Denies control over the technical setup

He said the cutoff of Shilpa’s microphone and lights did not come from his side and should not have happened. “During the performance, her microphone and the lights were switched off. I don’t know how that happened, and it should not have happened at all. It certainly did not happen from our side. Either the festival organisers or their engineers would know what went wrong,” he said.

Khan also recounted the moment Shilpa came back to the main stage to speak to the crowd. He said he halted his performance so she could thank the audience and denied trying to overpower her remarks.

“In the middle of my performance, Shilpa said from the other stage, ‘Mr. Kutle, you are singing well. I would like to thank the audience.’ I paused my set to let her speak. While she was thanking the audience, I stopped performing,” he said.

He picked up again only after a cue in his earpiece. “I could hear through my in-ear monitor someone telling me, ‘Mr. Kutle, start, start.’ So I resumed my performance,” he said.

Calls online criticism unfair

Khan said the online backlash was unfair because he had no control over what happened.

“Shilpa is a very good friend of mine, like a sister. The trolling and negativity being spread on social media right now are very unfortunate. It should not be happening. That’s all I wanted to clarify,” he said.