From Anupam Kher and Kapil Sharma to Badshah, several Bollywood and Punjabi celebrities have come out in support of Daler Mehndi after he was publicly reprimanded by Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal at a cultural event. Now, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention and expressing concern over the treatment of the singer at the event.
The minister added that the singer had been paid ₹ 35 lakh for the performance, which prompted him to express his displeasure. We therefore respectfully request your kind attention to this incident and urge you to advise the concerned authorities and public representatives to exercise greater sensitivity when dealing with artists and performers. Because he felt the singer was not doing justice to his art, speaking to ANI, Uniyal later explained that he had reprimanded Daler.
It also maintained that he does not consume alcohol, stressing, “In these circumstances, it is particularly important to exercise restraint before drawing conclusions about an artist’s condition. Any concerns regarding a performer’s well-being should be addressed with compassion and professionalism. The letter also highlighted Daler’s contribution to Indian music. It read, “Shri Daler Mehndi is a celebrated name in Indian music whose songs and performances have earned him widespread recognition across generations. An incident involving the public humiliation of such a senior artist is deeply distressing to the entire entertainment fraternity. Uniyal also alleged that the singer was intoxicated and was unable to speak or stand properly. He claimed that Daler appeared disoriented on stage, struggled to stand and was lip-syncing rather than singing live. Daler’s brother, singer Mika Singh, has since demanded an apology from Uniyal for publicly reprimanding the veteran singer.
In its letter, the film and television workers’ body said concerns about the singer’s physical condition and performance should have been handled sensitively. “While we appreciate the importance of maintaining the proper conduct of public events, such concerns ought to be addressed with sensitivity and discretion rather than through public reprimand,” read the letter, a copy of which was also sent to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The organisation said it was aware that the singer had been dealing with health issues and was recovering from a recent surgery.
A video of the incident went viral on Monday, showing the minister reprimanding Daler and criticising him for allegedly lip-syncing instead of singing live.
