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Daler Mehndi made headlines after Uttarakhand’s Cabinet Minister Subodh Undiyal reprimanded the legendary singer on stage and accused him of being intoxicated. In an interview with ANI, the minister expressed his resentment saying that they paid Mehndi Rs 35 lakh for the performance at the cultural event, and he was just “lip-syncing” to it.
Undiyal said, “He is a big artiste. If a big artiste doesn’t do justice to their art…He seemed disoriented on stage and didn’t seem to be able to even keep standing. Besides this, he was only lip-syncing to his songs. I told him that he is a big artiste and he should do justice to his art; he had been offered Rs 35 lakh to come and perform, but he was not even singing. So, I expressed my resentment.”
Uttarakhand folk singer and Padma Shri awardee Pritam Bhartwan, who was present at the event, also commented on Daler Mehndi‘s performance. “Well, I cannot say for certain whether he was under the influence or not; that is something only he or his associates would know. However, the Minister is absolutely right, if you are appearing before an audience for a performance, you cannot simply rely on a pre-recorded track, can you? Furthermore, given his stature, he ought to perform in a manner befitting his reputation. Perhaps he was unwell, whatever the case may have been, he should have clarified it. If one comes to perform, then a genuine performance is expected,” Bharatwan told ANI.
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#WATCH | Uttarakhand: On a viral video of him losing his cool at singer Daler Mehndi at an event, State Minister Subodh Uniyal says, “He is a big artist. If a big artist doesn’t do justice to their art…He seemed disoriented on stage and didn’t seem to be able to even keep standing. Besides this, he was only lip-syncing to his songs. I told him that he is a big artist and he should do justice to his art; he had been offered Rs 35 lakh to come and perform, but he was not even singing. So, I expressed my resentment…”
— ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2026
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Pritam Bhartwan also stressed on the importance of performing live in a live setting. “But if you are going somewhere to perform, you must actually deliver a performance. A live performance means exactly that live. There is simply no place for pre-recorded tracks in a live setting; I, for one, am completely against that.”
On Tuesday morning, Daler Mehndi’s brother Mika Singh released a statement, refuting allegations of the singer being under the influence of alcohol.
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Mika claimed that Daler has never consumed alcohol in his life, and if the allegations are proved then he (Mika) will quit singing.
In an interview with Navbharat Times in 2024, Daler Mehndi claimed that he does not drink alcohol. “One reason my voice has remained intact is that I do not drink alcohol. Otherwise, it would have been much more difficult. These days, even matching the voice you had five years ago can be a challenge, but I have recorded a song that I originally sang 27 years ago,” he said.
