Shilpa Rao’s concert row: Kutle Khan says he paused his set to let her speak

Kutle Khan, Shilpa Rao (Pics/Instagram)

Kutle Khan has addressed the controversy surrounding Shilpa Rao's abruptly cut-short performance at the Bollywood Music Project in Mumbai. The singer clarified that he had no role in the incident, explaining that he followed the festival organisers' instructions regarding his set duration. He also expressed disappointment over the trolling and negativity directed at Shilpa.

Kutle Khan reacts to Shilpa Rao's row

Kutle Khan has addressed the controversy surrounding Shilpa Rao's abruptly cut-short performance at the Bollywood Music Project (BMP). He shared his perspective in a video on Instagram and started with, "I would like to share my perspective on what actually happened there. All the respected artists who had come to perform had fixed time slots, and Shilpa's timing was also fixed."

He continued, "During the performance, her microphone and the lights were switched off. I don't know how that happened, and it should not have happened at all. It certainly did not happen from our side. Either the festival organisers or their engineers would know what went wrong."

"Another thing is that a 20-minute set was cut short, and I was told that my set would only be eight minutes long. I said there was no problem because I had to follow the instructions of the festival organisers. So I started my show with the allotted eight-minute set," he added.

Kutle further explained what happened when Shilpa tried to address the crowd while he was performing. He said he paused his set to allow her to speak and thank the audience. "In the middle of my performance, Shilpa said from the other stage, ‘Mr. Kutle, you are singing well. I would like to thank the audience.' I paused my set to let her speak. While she was thanking the audience, I stopped performing," he said.

However, Kutle claimed that someone was asking him to resume his performance through his in-ear monitor. "I could hear through my in-ear monitor someone telling me, ‘Mr. Kutle, start, start.' So I resumed my performance," he explained.

"Shilpa is a very good friend of mine, like a sister. The trolling and negativity being spread on social media right now are very unfortunate. It should not be happening. That's all I wanted to clarify. Thank you so much," he concluded.

About Shilpa Rao's concert row

For the uninitiated, the incident took place during the 10th anniversary edition of the Bollywood Music Project (BMP) in Mumbai on October 24. Shilpa was performing when her microphone and stage lights were reportedly switched off before she could properly conclude her set. As she attempted to address the audience and thank her fans, another performer, Kutle Khan, began his set.

The incident sparked criticism on social media, with fans expressing disappointment over the way the singer's performance was brought to an abrupt end. Shilpa had also taken to her social media account to express her disappointment over the incident.