Entertainment · Music · 11 hrs ago
Abhijeet Bhattacharya pledges to sing live after Daler Mehndi row
Abhijeet Bhattacharya said he will always sing live at concerts, even if his voice is strained or he sings off-key.
He made the pledge while speaking to the audience at Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava 2026 in Chhattisgarh.
His comments referred to a dispute over Daler Mehndi’s performance at a cultural event in Uttarakhand last month.
Uttarakhand minister Subodh Uniyal interrupted Mehndi on stage and questioned whether he was singing live.
The minister said Mehndi could not speak properly and asked how he could sing, while later saying the singer had been paid Rs 35 lakh.
Mehndi’s brother Mika Singh and other celebrities criticised the minister, and Mika said Mehndi was unwell; Uniyal refused to apologise.
Bhattacharya urged audiences not to accept lip-syncing, but no further action or response is reported.
Abhijeet Bhattacharya said he would sing live at performances and would not lip-sync, whatever the condition of his voice.
He made the pledge while speaking at Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava 2026, referring to a controversy involving Daler Mehndi without naming him.
The controversy began when Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal interrupted Mehndi during a cultural event and questioned whether he was performing live.
Uniyal later said Mehndi had been paid Rs 35 lakh for the performance.
Mehndi’s brother Mika Singh and other celebrities criticised the minister, while Mika said Mehndi had been unwell.
- Who
- Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, speaking about a controversy involving Daler Mehndi and Minister Subodh Uniyal.
- What
- Bhattacharya pledged to sing live and said he would not lip-sync during performances.
- When
- He spoke at Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava 2026; the source articles were published on November 4, 2026.
- Where
- Chhattisgarh. The earlier incident involving Mehndi took place at a cultural event in Uttarakhand.
- Why
- Bhattacharya was addressing the controversy over whether Mehndi had performed live and said audiences deserved live singing.
Subodh Uniyal
Daler Mehndi and supporters
Performance
Subodh Uniyal
Uniyal questioned Mehndi’s performance on stage and said he could not speak properly, asking how he could sing.
Daler Mehndi and supporters
Mika Singh and other celebrities criticised Uniyal for disrespecting Mehndi; Mika said Mehndi was unwell during the performance.
Apology
Subodh Uniyal
Uniyal refused to apologise to Mehndi.
Daler Mehndi and supporters
Mehndi’s supporters criticised the minister’s treatment of him.
Subodh Uniyal interrupted Daler Mehndi during a cultural event in Uttarakhand and questioned his performance.
Uniyal told ANI that Mehndi had been paid Rs 35 lakh to perform at the event.
Abhijeet Bhattacharya spoke against lip-syncing and pledged to sing live.
Times of India and Hindustan Times published reports on Bhattacharya’s comments.
- Singer
- Abhijeet Bhattacharya
- Event
- Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava 2026
- Minister
- Subodh Uniyal, Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister
- Performer at centre of row
- Daler Mehndi
- Reported payment
- Rs 35 lakh
- Published
- November 4, 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
No matter how I sing, whether I sing badly, whether my voice is strained, whether I get tired, or whether I sing off-key, whatever I do, I will sing live.
I will never simply move my lips in the name of singing.
You can't even speak properly, how will you sing?