After singer Shilpa Rao’s performance was cut short at the Bollywood Music Project (BMP) event in Mumbai on Saturday, her husband Ritesh Krishnan has now taken to social media to express his anger over the matter.
Shilpa, known for songs like ‘Besharam Rang’ and ‘Tose Naina Lage’ was performing at the BMP concert on Saturday when her microphone was switched off before she could finish her set, leaving her without a proper chance to thank the audience and sign off.
Reacting to the incident her husband Ritesh said it hurt him deeply to see his wife being treated in such a way especially when he knows how much her fans mean to her.
“I felt angry. I felt disappointed. I felt helpless!! And more than anything, it hurt to see someone I love and admire so deeply being put through this. People know Shilpa Rao as the voice behind some of the most beautiful songs,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
“But I know the woman behind that voice. I know how much her audience and her fans mean to her, and to stand there last night, watching my wife being treated with such disrespect, was something I will never forget!,” he added.
He also went on to attack BMP. "BMP, your PR team is working overtime to convince Mumbai it did not see what it saw. Cute! And above all, denying a fellow artist just two minutes to say goodbye to her audience was selfish, petty, shameless and utterly classless!! To everyone who stood by her, THANK YOU. Shilpa, I am incredibly proud of you my love Mumbai, we will be back. Your love deserves a beautiful ending. And we owe you that."
Shilpa spoke on the issue with a note on her Instagram handle on Saturday and said she was "hurt" but thanked the audience.
"Mumbai, a piece of my heart broke tonight. It hurts deeply to have something so beautiful taken away from us like this. But even when the music stopped you didn't," she wrote.
"The way you kept calling my name, the love in your voices, I could feel it all. I promise I will come back to Mumbai," she added.
The organisers reacted by sharing an apology statement. "We deeply apologise. At BMP, our mission is always to deliver an unparalleled live music experience for both our artists and their fans. We want to address the abrupt conclusion of Shilpa Rao's performance at this weekend's festival. First and foremost, we hold Shilpa Rao in the highest regard," it read.
"We deeply value and respect her incredible legacy, her unparalleled artistry, and the profound impact she continues to make on the music industry. It was an absolute honour to have her on our lineup," it added.
The organisers said, "live events can experience unpredictable operational shifts, including extended sets from earlier performances".
"Large-scale music festivals feature complex logistics and multi-artist lineups. Despite strict planning and coordination. Because our festivals operate under strict local authority guidelines and venue curfew regulations, these compounding delays unfortunately forced a premature end to her set. While these circumstances were entirely out of our control, we deeply regret that we could not showcase her performance in its entirety," the statement said.