'Shilpa Rao interrupted him': Kutle Khan's manager on concert row
What's the story
Singer Kutle Khan's team has spoken out against the backlash he received after his performance at the 10th anniversary of the Bollywood Music Project (BMP) in Mumbai on Saturday. The incident happened when singer Shilpa Rao was interrupted and abruptly cut off while thanking the audience, leading to social media outrage. Khan's manager, Sharad Sharma, has now alleged that Rao "interrupted" Khan's performance to address the audience.
Manager's statement
'She interrupted his performance'
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."
Disruption details
'We should instead be upset about Shilpa'
Sharma added, "He stopped his performance for her. Thereafter, the festival organizer, 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."
PR allegations
False narrative being spread against Khan?
Sharma also slammed the alleged false narrative being spread on social media against Khan.
He said, "Khan saab broke for her. We hold no grudges against her. Shilpa's a good friend. Par pata nahi unki PR team ne kya bakwaas kiya. Everything is possible on social media...we can also pay a lakh and get narratives started."
"Her management team is trying to say that Khan saab interrupted Shilpa. It's Shilpa, in fact, who stopped him and started her thank-you note."
Delay details
Organizers only took permission for 1 day this year
Sharma further revealed that the organizers had only taken permission for one day this year, which is why they had to schedule all artists together.
He alleged that Himesh Reshammiya's three-hour-long soundcheck caused delays that affected other artists' performance slots.
He said, "Uske wajaah se sabka time aur cut ho gaya. Khan saab was supposed to do a 30-minute set initially. And then we were told to reduce it to 8-10 minutes."
Singer's reaction
Rao was heartbroken after she was cut off on stage
Meanwhile, Rao took to social media to express her disappointment over the incident, saying she was "heartbroken" after her performance was cut short.
The organizers also issued an apology, attributing the disruption to delays and curfew guidelines.
The incident has sparked a debate among attendees about fairness and consistency in enforcing time limits for performances at BMP.