Shilpa Rao’s Mic Cut Twice at Bollywood Music Project
Shilpa Rao's Bollywood Music Project set ended abruptly when her mic was switched off twice, leaving fans chanting and the singer heartbroken.
The tenth edition of the Bollywood Music Project turned from celebration into stand-off on 24 October, when Shilpa Rao’s microphone was switched off twice during her set at Mumbai’s Jio World Gardens. Fans who had come for a star-packed line-up ended the night chanting her name and booing the organisers.
A late start and a first mic failure
The festival was running behind schedule across its two alternating stages. Shilpa Rao’s set was originally slotted for 7:45 pm to 8:15 pm, but she took the stage close to 8:30 pm and opened with “Tose Naina Lage” from Anwar. Near the end of the song her mic stopped working, and a crew member rushed on stage after she signalled for a replacement.
Shilpa turned the glitch into a crowd moment, telling the audience, “I don’t need a mic. You guys are my voice!” She also shared that her mother was in the audience and it was her birthday; the crowd responded by singing “Happy Birthday”. From there she moved through “Tere Hawaale”, the Kalank title track, “Khuda Jaane” and “Woh Ajnabee”, with The Rish joining her for “Barbaad”.
The main stage goes dark
After Shilpa finished “Chuttamalle” from Devara, the main stage lights went out without warning and her microphone was switched off. At the same moment, Kutle Khan began performing on the second stage. The abrupt change appeared to be the festival’s response to a running schedule.
The audience quickly realised the set had ended. Fans began chanting “Shilpa, Shilpa”, and her microphone was briefly switched back on. Addressing Kutle Khan directly, she said she would say one line and leave, and told him he was singing well. To her fans, she added: “I just wanted to say bye. I can’t leave without saying bye. Woh nahin gaane de rahe.” The line drew loud boos.
Shilpa then said the crowd had made those 15-20 minutes amazing and noted that she was performing in Mumbai after a long time, but her mic was cut once more before she could finish. She made a heart sign, blew a kiss and walked off stage to continued chants.
After the show
Shilpa Rao later wrote on Instagram that “a little piece of my heart broke tonight”, saying it hurt to have something beautiful taken away. She credited fans for keeping going when the music stopped and promised, “I will come back”.
For live-event teams, the night is a working lesson. Multi-stage festivals depend on tight changeovers, but ending a set by cutting audio in the middle of a goodbye can turn a scheduling problem into a public fan backlash.
- If a set is running late, brief the artist and give a clear end cue before the next changeover.
- Keep a stage manager on comms for handovers between main and second stages.
- Never cut a microphone mid-performance; if it must end, let the artist close properly.
- Protect the exit moment, because fans remember how an artist is treated.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com
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