4 min readOct 22, 2026 07:09 PM IST First published on: Oct 22, 2026 at 07:09 PM ISTThe stage has always been an unforgiving space. Yet there was something quite uneasy about watching popstar and Sufi singer Daler Mehndi being publicly hauled up over his recent performance at a Navratri event in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal. Subodh Uniyal, a state cabinet minister, publicly criticised the musician, alleging that he appeared intoxicated. He also declared that Mehndi had failed to do justice to his art despite charging a hefty fee, that he was merely lip-syncing to songs playing through a “mixer”.No matter what the minister’s displeasure, there is no justification for a politician to berate an artiste on the microphone and to resort to a public dressing-down the way Uniyal did. If Mehndi failed to honour his end of the bargain, which he did, there were other ways to register his complaint in private and with dignity.AdvertisementRight after the incident went viral, many from the music industry, including Alisha Chinai, Harshdeep Kaur, Badshah, Shaan and Mehndi’s younger brother Mika Singh, spoke of Mehndi’s ill health. The musician had reportedly undergone a surgery recently and therefore could not perform to capacity.While Mehndi must be defended from public criticism of this nature, it also cannot completely absolve him of his responsibility towards the audience. Musicians and their management teams must exercise some judgement on whether the artiste is fit to perform and hold the stage. Mehndi has been a brilliant performer in the past. From ‘Tunak tunak tun’ to ‘Bolo tara ra’ to ‘Ho jayegi balle balle’, Mehndi has given some of the biggest hits of his time. If he is unwell, he needs to be rested.Also Read | In a pandal, you overturn a table of books only if you can’t argue against themPlayback singer and independent artiste Sona Mohapatra, a huge Mehndi fan, recently wrote on her social media about staying back for a day to attend the Punjabi singer’s performance at the Sufi Heritage Festival in the Capital earlier this year. She had already performed at the festival and when I met her after her performance, she was visibly thrilled at the prospect of seeing Mehndi on stage the next day. There was something quite lovely about that anticipation: A glimpse that even artistes, who spend their lives performing for others, can be hardcore fans themselves. She was disappointed as Mehndi seemed “disoriented” and “could not hold a note” during his Delhi performance. “Respect is not a one-way entitlement. It is a relationship of reciprocity,” she wrote.AdvertisementThere is no question that artistes owe the audience a great time. These people have spent time and money to watch their favourite people perform. Artistes will be surprised how the audiences can be forgiving when they are honest with them. A cracked voice, a missed note or an admission that illness has taken its toll are all human frailties and will almost always be accepted with love and grace. What they are less likely to accept is a sense of being taken for granted.you may likeThat said, an apology from Uniyal to an artiste who’s entertained the country for three decades is in order.The writer is deputy associate editor, The Indian Express. suanshu.khurana@expressindia.com