Kutle Khan’s team has reacted to the backlash the singer faced after Shilpa Rao’s performance was cut short at the 10th anniversary edition of the Bollywood Music Project (BMP) in Mumbai on October 24. The team has claimed that Shilpa interrupted Kutle Khan’s performance to address the audience, adding that the singer’s set had already been shortened by the organisers.
The incident sparked outrage on social media after Shilpa was cut off while thanking the audience for their love and support. As she was speaking from one end of the stage, Kutle Khan’s performance began, and her microphone was switched off, leaving fans and attendees upset.
Kutle Khan’s team says Shilpa Rao interrupted his performance
Speaking about the incident, Kutle Khan’s manager, Sharad Sharma, told News18, “The festival team had allotted each artist 15-20 minutes onstage. But they chopped Khan saab’s performance time further. He was only given 10 minutes. But we were okay with it since they paid us. Shilpa finished her performance and left the stage. Once Khan saab began his set, she interrupted his performance and said that she would want to thank everyone.”
“He stopped his performance for her. Thereafter, the festival organiser, Deepak Chaudhary, came to us and told Khan saab to sing Dil Pe Zakham Khate Hain. He kept telling him ki start karo, start karo. We should instead be upset about his performance being disrupted by Shilpa. She should’ve thanked everyone at the end of her own performance. She went backstage and then came back when Khan saab was halfway through his set,” he added.
Kutle Khan’s manager alleges false narrative against singer
Sharad also criticised what he described as a false narrative being circulated on social media against Kutle Khan. While saying that he held no grudges against Shilpa, he alleged that her PR team was attempting to portray the incident as Kutle Khan interrupting her performance.
Sharad maintained that the situation was the other way around, claiming that Shilpa had interrupted Kutle Khan midway through his set. He added that Kutle Khan’s team could also have taken to social media to present its side of the story but preferred not to get involved in such narratives.
Kutle Khan’s manager blames Himesh Reshammiya for delays
Sharad further explained that the organisers had secured permission for only one day this year, leading them to schedule all the artists together. He alleged that Himesh Reshammiya’s sound check took three hours, causing delays that affected the performance slots of other artists. According to Sharad, the delay resulted in the performance time being cut short for several artists, including both Shilpa Rao and Kutle Khan.
Meanwhile, Shilpa had taken to social media to express her disappointment over the incident, saying she was ‘heartbroken’ after her performance was cut short. The organisers also issued an apology, attributing the disruption to delays and curfew guidelines.