Why Shilpa Rao’s set was cut mid-song but Himesh’s wasn’t

One set ended in darkness. Another continued past the same cut-off mark. That contrast now sits at the centre of the conversation around the Bollywood Music Project’s October 24 edition in Mumbai, where singer Shilpa Rao’s performance was stopped midway and filmmaker Sulagna Chatterjee has asked why Himesh Reshammiya appeared to be treated differently.

A set interrupted, then a farewell cut short

Chatterjee told Mid-Day that the festival was already running behind schedule when Rao took the stage around 8.30 pm. Her microphone reportedly stopped working during “Tose Naina Lage”, but she continued with her set and eventually sang four songs, including “Khuda Jaane” and “Kalank”.

The break came during “Chuttamalle”. According to Chatterjee, the lights suddenly went down as Kutle Khan began performing on another stage, leaving Rao standing in the dark. After Khan’s first song, she tried to return and say goodbye to the audience, but the next number started before she could finish.

Why the 10 pm contrast matters

Chatterjee also pointed to what happened later that evening. When organisers tried to cut Himesh Reshammiya’s microphone at 10 pm, the singer said he still had medleys left to perform and was allowed to continue. “Why was Shilpa not given the same consideration?” Chatterjee asked.

That is the fairness question fans are now unpacking. A curfew is a curfew, but if it bends for one artist and not another, the audience reads it as hierarchy rather than logistics.

The apology and the unfinished set

Rao later wrote on Instagram that “a little piece of my heart broke tonight” and thanked Mumbai fans for calling her name even after the music stopped. Organisers apologised, saying multi-artist festivals can face compounding delays, local authority guidelines and venue curfew rules, and that the abrupt end was not in their control.

• 8.30 pm: Shilpa Rao begins her set despite delays.
• Her microphone stops during “Tose Naina Lage”; she still sings four songs.
• During “Chuttamalle”, the lights go off as Kutle Khan starts on another stage.
• 10 pm: Himesh Reshammiya is allowed to continue after a cut-off attempt.

The practical point for live-music fans is straightforward: artists build a set around the room, and audiences plan an evening around the artist. A scheduling slip is understandable; what damages trust is silence followed by an apology after the lights have already gone out.

Rao has promised to return to Mumbai, and her fans sound ready for that do-over. The festival’s organisers may have been boxed in by the clock, but the memory most people will keep is of a singer asking for a moment to say goodbye and being overtaken by the next act.

Source: The Times of India