Anupam Kher defends Daler Mehndi after Uttarakhand Minister's on-stage rebuke

Veteran actor Anupam Kher defended singer Daler Mehndi after Uttarakhand Minister Subodh Uniyal confronted him on stage. The actor questioned the public rebuke and urged the entertainment industry to support Mehndi.

In Short

• Anupam Kher supports Daler Mehndi after public row with Uttarakhand minister
• Kher defends Mehndi's character, denies singer drinks alcohol
• Kher calls for industry to back Mehndi and criticises public humiliation

Veteran actor Anupam Kher has come out in support of Daler Mehndi after a public confrontation with Uttarakhand minister Subodh Uniyal over the singer’s performance. In a video message shared late night, he said he was deeply disturbed by the way the veteran artiste was spoken to on stage. Kher also urged members of the entertainment industry to stand by Mehndi, whom he has known for two to three decades.

In the video message, Kher made it clear that he hadn’t witnessed the incident in person and couldn’t say exactly what had happened. However, based on his longstanding association with Mehndi, he defended the singer’s character and said, "I have known Daler Mehndi for the last 20–30 years, and I can say that he does not drink, as far as I am concerned. As far as I know, he is one of the finest human beings that I have met (sic)."

Kher also said he knew Mehndi hadn’t been keeping well for the past two to three years, through their mutual friend, Dr Jool. He suggested that the singer may have honoured his commitment to the organisers despite his health concerns, calling it a mark of professionalism.

Watch the video:

While acknowledging that Mehndi might have lip-synced during the performance, Kher said that didn’t justify the way he was addressed in front of an audience.

"It is also possible that he lip-synced. But I just felt bad that nobody should speak to anybody like that. That is also on an open forum. Dalerji, I am so sorry, but I think people should talk about it. Our industry should talk about it. It is not only me, Kajji's duty to sort of defend his brother,” he said, urging colleagues to speak up rather than leaving the responsibility to Mehndi’s brother.

Kher questions the need for public humiliation

In his accompanying caption, Kher addressed Uniyal directly, saying that even if the minister was unhappy with the performance, the matter could have been handled privately and respectfully.

"Minister-ji, you may have had grievances regarding his performance – you might even have been displeased – but was it truly necessary to humiliate him in front of everyone on stage? Such concerns could have been addressed privately and respectfully (sic)," he wrote.

He ended his message with a heartfelt note for Mehndi, saying, "Daler-ji, you are an exceptional artist and an equally wonderful human being. Please take care of yourself. May God grant you good health. My love and respect are always with you (sic)."

Read the post here:

How the Daler Mehndi controversy began

The row erupted after videos from Mehndi’s performance at the Kunjapuri Mela in Narendra Nagar, Tehri, surfaced online. The clips showed Uniyal confronting the singer on stage, questioning his ability to perform and telling him to stop.

The Uttarakhand Forest Minister reportedly objected to Mehndi’s apparent condition, arguing that performing under the influence of alcohol was inappropriate at a Navratri event dedicated to Goddess Durga.

Rapper Badshah, comedian-actor Kapil Sharma and singer Mika Singh have also shown support for Mehndi. Mika, who said his brother was recovering from surgery, went a step further, declaring he would quit singing if anyone could prove that Mehndi consumed alcohol.

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