Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi faced criticism from Uttarakhand state cabinet minister Subodh Uniyal after a Navratri event in New Tehri, where the minister claimed Mehndi was paid ₹35 lakh but did not perform live as expected. The incident occurred during the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair, drawing attention to the singer's earnings and performance standards, according to livemint.com.
Minister Uniyal publicly reprimanded Mehndi on stage, alleging the singer appeared disoriented and was lip-syncing instead of singing live. Speaking to ANI, Uniyal said, "He seemed disoriented on stage and didn't seem to be able to even keep standing. Besides this, he was only lip-syncing to his songs." The minister expressed his resentment, emphasizing that Mehndi, a prominent artist, should have done justice to his art given the ₹35 lakh payment offered for the performance.
The controversy has renewed interest in Mehndi's financial status, with unofficial estimates placing his net worth around ₹124 crore. His monthly income is estimated at ₹40 lakh, and his annual income at ₹15 crore, with additional assets valued at approximately ₹9.36 crore, per Moneymint.com. These figures have not been independently verified or confirmed by the singer himself, but they highlight the scale of earnings for artists of Mehndi's stature in India.
The event took place at the cultural evening of the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair in New Tehri. The public exchange between the minister and Mehndi was widely reported, bringing scrutiny to performance expectations at high-profile cultural events in the region.