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Exclusive | Shilpa Rao’s performance halted at BMP; No prior warning was given after a 2 hour delayed set: Source
After Shilpa Rao’s microphone was switched off. Sources alleged mismanagement while Kutle Khan’s manager claim Rao interrupted Khan’s set
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Singer Shilpa Rao’s performance at the 10th-anniversary edition of the Bollywood Music Project (BMP) in Mumbai ended abruptly on Saturday after her microphone was switched off before she could finish her set. Expressing her disappointment on Instagram, she wrote, “Mumbai, a little piece of my heart broke tonight.” She added that despite the music stopping, the audience continued cheering for her, calling the moment an “unfinished” story and promising to return to the city.
Sources familiar with the event allege that mismanagement led to the incident, claiming Rao’s performance began nearly two hours late after earlier artistes exceeded their allotted slots. “The whole incident was not well managed. Artistes who performed before Shilpa took way more time than their allotted set. They were not stopped even when they exceeded their set time by 15 to 30 mins,” a source tells us.
The source claims Rao’s microphone was first switched off while she was performing Chuttamalle from Devara: Part 1 (2024), despite her exceeding the allotted time by no more than 10 minutes. Another source alleges that singers Hariharan, Palash Sen of Euphoria and Himesh Reshammiya also exceeded their slots. “In Hariharan’s case, his manager was told to give the artiste a cue because he had already exceeded his time. But Shilpa was not given any such ultimatum before her performance was cut short. There was no prior warning to her that her time was up. Her mic was cut, lights were shut down, which makes the way her performance was stopped even more disappointing,” the source says.
The source further alleges that BMP organiser Deepak Choudhary instructed his team to switch off the microphone and lights despite objections from members of the team. “Even Deepak Choudhary, the main organiser of BMP, was screaming at his team to shut down the lights and cut off the mic during Shilpa’s performance. Members of the team were objecting, but he was clear that they should go ahead and cut it. It was highly disrespectful to the artiste. It was a mismanaged event, but the way it was handled was not right,” the source alleges.
Kutle Khan's team hits back at Shilpa Rao
The situation became more contentious when singer Kutle Khan began performing on another stage while Rao was still addressing her audience after her microphone was cut off. However, Khan’s manager, Sharad Sharma, offered a different account of the incident to News18, alleging that Rao interrupted Khan’s performance after finishing her own set. Sharma claimed the festival team had allotted artistes 15-20 minutes each, but Khan was given only 10 minutes. He alleged that Rao returned to address the audience while Khan was performing, prompting him to stop his set.
AICWA condemned the incident
On Sunday, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) condemned the incident, calling it the humiliation of a National Award-winning singer. In a statement, the association said, “AICWA condemns, in the harshest terms, the humiliation the Bollywood Music Project inflicted on National Award-winning singer Shilpa Rao while she was performing live on stage. Such behaviour towards an artist will never be tolerated.” It also said it would support her through every legal avenue.
BMP team issue a statement
Meanwhile, the BMP team apologised to Rao on Instagram, attributing the premature end of her performance to delays caused by earlier sets and venue curfew regulations. “We deeply apologise. We want to address the abrupt conclusion of Shilpa Rao’s performance at this weekend’s festival. Large-scale music festivals feature complex logistics and multi-artist lineups."
They added, "Despite strict planning and coordination, live events can experience unpredictable operational shifts, including extended sets from earlier performances. Because our festivals operate under strict local authority guidelines and venue curfew regulations, these compounding delays unfortunately forced a premature end to her set,” a part of the statement read.
