Sona Mohapatra speaks about Daler Mehndi’s performance controversy following backlash over an appearance in Uttarakhand. In posts referencing the dispute, she recalls watching Mehndi perform at a Sufi festival in Delhi and raises questions about how audiences and performers are treated, and about professional accountability in live shows.
Mohapatra says she headlined the first evening of the Sufi Heritage Festival at Delhi’s Sunder Nursery on February 28, 2026, while Mehndi was scheduled to perform as the closing act the next evening, March 1. She describes Mehndi as appearing disoriented, struggling to hold a note, and repeating the same musical phrase, and she says audience members gradually left the venue. She also argues that public humiliation is not a solution, and that respect should be reciprocal between veteran artists and those who paid for performances.
Across coverage, NDTV and Times of India focus on Mohapatra’s broader message about “legacy” not exempting artists from accountability, and on her Delhi festival recollection in response to the Uttarakhand row. Free Press Journal provides the most detailed account of the timeline and her specific observations from the show, along with her reflections on organisers, fees, and how silence can affect accountability.
