Gurdas Maan has joined the growing list of celebrities endorsing bold mehndi after the controversy over his performance at a Navratri event in Uttarakhand. Addressing the incident, the Punjabi singer asked people to look beyond what happens on stage and remember that artists also deal with personal struggles, health concerns and difficult situations.
talking with Times of IndiaGurdas Maan shares his thoughts on the criticism surrounding Daler Mehndi and highlights the efforts made by artists to fulfill their commitments, even when things are not going well in their personal lives.
“An artist’s journey is often more complicated than what we see from the outside,” Singer said. He added, “We must remember that artists are also human beings, with their own personal situations and challenges.”
Gurdas Maan also mentioned that performing in front of an audience comes with responsibilities, but artists try their best to live up to expectations despite unexpected challenges. Explaining his point of view, he said, “An artist always does and will do his best for his fans despite health issues, personal losses, injuries etc.”
Gurdas Maan appealed to the people not to jump to any conclusions when such situations arise. Calling for a more sensible approach, he said everyone should “approach every situation with compassion, give the benefit of the doubt, and let due process take its course.”
What happened at the Uttarakhand event of Daler Mehndi?
The controversy started on October 18, when Darer Mehndi performed at the Siddhapeeth Maa Kunjapuri tourism and development fair in Uttarakhand. His performance took an unexpected turn when Minister of State Subodh Unyal walked on stage and questioned the singer in front of the audience.
The minister accused Daler Mehndi of performing under the influence of alcohol and expressed displeasure at the situation. He said, “There is a program of Durga Mata on Navratri and you are drinking alcohol and singing in the event, which is not right. We invited you to entertain our people. You’re fooling us, it’s wrong, it’s wrong. You were invited because you have a big name, you can’t even speak, how can you sing?”
Subodh Unyal later claimed that the singer had received Rs 35 lakh for the performance.
The incident also prompted Daler Mehndi’s brother Mika Singh to speak in his defence. Mika said Daler does not consume alcohol and has been asked to apologize for what he described as a public insult.
In this controversy, many other celebrities including Rajpal Yadav, Anupam Kher, Kapil Sharma and Badshah have also come out in support of Daler.
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