Sona Mohapatra recalls Daler Mehndi’s March 1 performance at Delhi’s Sufi Heritage Festival.
The singer questions whether Daler Mehndi’s legacy should outweigh professional accountability and audience expectations.
Subodh Uniyal’s confrontation with Daler Mehndi at Uttarakhand’s Kunjapuri Mela sparked a wider debate.
Singer Sona Mohapatra has weighed in on the Daler Mehndi controversy, questioning whether respect for a veteran artist should prevent people from raising concerns about a performance. Her remarks follow the uproar over Daler’s appearance at a Navratri event in Uttarakhand, where BJP MLA Subodh Uniyal accused him of being intoxicated on stage. The allegation remains disputed.
In an 11-slide Instagram post, Sona recalled watching Daler perform at Delhi’s Sufi Heritage Festival on March 1, 2026, after she had performed there the previous evening. She said she had stayed back to watch the singer deliver a Sufi-oriented set but was disappointed by what unfolded.
Sona Mohapatra questions Daler Mehndi controversy
Sona said she and her team had remained silent despite feeling uncomfortable during the performance. She also expressed sympathy for the festival organisers, who had invested their resources and reputations in presenting the veteran singer.
Sharing her post, Sona asked, “pov: When does respect become silence? And when does silence become complicity? #respectisatwowaystreet @sufiheritagefestival @yasminkidwai @himanshuanand.”
Clarifying that she did not know Daler’s personal circumstances or health, Sona said she would not presume to diagnose what she had witnessed. She also maintained that publicly humiliating an artist was not the answer.
“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,” she wrote.
How the Daler Mehndi controversy began
The controversy erupted after videos of Daler’s performance at the Kunjapuri Mela in Narendra Nagar, Uttarakhand, circulated online. The footage showed Forest Minister and BJP MLA Subodh Uniyal confronting the singer over his apparent condition during the Navratri event.
Several celebrities, including Anupam Kher, Badshah, Mika Singh and Kapil Sharma, have since expressed support for Daler. Mika defended his brother and said he would quit singing if anyone could prove that Daler had consumed alcohol.
Reflecting on the wider debate, Sona wrote, “Respect is not a one-way entitlement. It is a relationship of reciprocity.”
She concluded by stressing that an artist’s age, stature and legacy should not exempt them from professional accountability, while audiences deserve respect too.
