Anjali Arora faces Rs 1.20 crore notice over 12-minute set

Kanpur organisers demand Rs 1.20 crore after 12-minute set

Anjali Arora has been served a Rs 1.20 crore legal notice by organisers of the Nagada Nights event in Kanpur after what they describe as a 12-minute appearance on October 15, far short of the 45-minute set they say was agreed. The organisers have also approached Swarup Nagar police station, seeking an FIR against the actor-influencer.

Senior advocate Karim Ahmed Siddiqui, representing the organisers, said the performance fee was fixed at Rs 3 lakh after discussions with Anjali’s manager, Preeti Dubey. The team says it transferred Rs 2.75 lakh across accounts and covered air travel, stay and food for Anjali and four team members. Organisers claim she waited at Kanpur airport around 4 pm until the remaining Rs 75,000 was paid.

The bill the organisers say was left behind

According to organisers, the performance was scheduled for 9 pm to 9.45 pm, but Anjali took the stage around 9.45 pm and performed for roughly 12 minutes before an argument with her management and a quick exit. Sponsors then held back their payments, leaving the organisers with what they estimate as a Rs 20 lakh financial loss, plus damage to their social and professional reputation and mental distress.

• Agreed fee: Rs 3 lakh; organisers say Rs 2.75 lakh had been paid.
• Agreed set: 45 minutes; they claim she was on stage about 12 minutes.
• Sponsor impact: payments withheld, with losses estimated around Rs 20 lakh.

Aman Nigam, one of the organisers and the man behind the band Shor, rejected Anjali’s account. He alleged she became upset when Kacha Badam was played, though that is the song that brought her recognition. ‘She should have communicated her conditions and instructions in advance,’ Nigam said.

Anjali Arora’s side

Anjali posted three Instagram videos on October 19 with her version. She clarified that she has no issue with Kacha Badam and acknowledged the song helped her gain popularity. The 26-year-old actor said her concerns were security arrangements and interference in her personal space: she alleged her hotel room doorbell was repeatedly rung and that several people kept coming to her room to ask for photographs.

Organiser Ashish Gupta dismissed those security concerns. He said the owner of the vehicle that took Anjali from the airport to the hotel was present for that journey, while only her manager accompanied her on the return trip. Anjali was last seen as Sita in Mahakavya Shri Ramayan Katha.

What the dispute teaches event teams

The standoff is a reminder that a live appearance is a contract, not just a performance. Set length, fee, song preferences, security and personal-space terms need to be written down before the artist travels. In live entertainment terms, that is the performance rider: the artist’s written list of conditions covering set length, songs, security and personal space. For event teams, put the duration and song list in writing, pay the agreed balance before the artist arrives, and give the artist a named on-ground security contact. Do not leave conditions to be explained on the day or let sponsor payments rest entirely on on-stage behaviour.

The organisers want an apology to the people of Kanpur and have said they will approach senior police officials if the FIR is not registered. For fans, the fight shows how quickly a small-city gig can become a crore-plus legal headache when the terms are not nailed down.

Source: India Today