AICWA Slams BMP After Shilpa Rao’s Mic Is Cut Off

For a festival meant to toast a decade of Hindi film music, the Bollywood Music Project’s 10th-anniversary edition in Mumbai is making headlines for a moment no artist wants. On 24 October 2026, National Award-winning singer Shilpa Rao was performing live when her microphone and stage lights were switched off mid-set. The All Indian Cine Workers Association has now formally sided with her, calling the organisers’ move disrespectful and warning of wider consequences for live events.

What happened on stage

According to AICWA, Rao was still in the middle of her performance when the organisers cut both sound and lighting. She stayed on stage for some time after the interruption. Shortly after, Kutle Khan of the Kutle Khan Project came on and began his set.

In a statement issued on X on 25 October, the association described the sequence as completely unacceptable: an artist’s sound and lights were killed mid-show, and the stage was handed to another act while she was still present.

Rao’s catalogue makes the moment sting. She is the voice behind film songs such as “Tose Naina”, “Khuda Jaane”, “Bulleya”, “Chaleya” and “Ghungroo”—tracks that have become audience singalongs.

AICWA’s red line

The association did not hold back. It framed the cut as an insult to a National Award winner on an anniversary stage, and it underlined a principle that gets lost in event logistics: a booking fee does not buy ownership of a performer.

• It promised to stand with Rao through every legal avenue if she chooses to act.
• It warned of strict action if any artist is mistreated at future events.
• It cautioned that artists may refuse to perform where respect is not assured.

Fans kept her name alive

The silver lining came from the crowd. AICWA said fans continued chanting Rao’s name after the sound went off. On Instagram, she wrote that “a little piece of her heart broke” that night, but that she felt the audience’s love even after the music stopped and plans to return to Mumbai. The association praised the audience for standing with her.

Why it matters beyond one gig

Most stage disputes are handled quietly; this one is public because an industry body used it to draw a line. For fans, that matters because the way an artist leaves the stage is part of the live experience. For organisers, the incident is a caution: abrupt scheduling and staging decisions can become a reputational problem even when the show itself goes on. A festival’s next edition depends on artists trusting the stage they are asked to take.

Source: Filmfare