Bollywood playback singer Neha Kakkar finally responded to the backlash she has been facing after being accused of arriving over three hours late at her recent Melbourne concert. The controversy escalated further when a video of Neha breaking down in tears on stage went viral, where she apologised to the audience for the inconvenience.
Taking to her Instagram story on Thursday (March 27), Neha posted a cryptic message which read, "Wait for the truth, you'll regret judging me so quickly." Along with the text, the singer also added a pensive, upset and remorseful face emoji. With this, Neha indicated that there's more to the story than what has been said on social media.
Her statement comes after social media was flooded with criticism over her delayed appearance and a reportedly short one-hour performance.
Amid the ongoing backlash, Neha's brother, singer Tony Kakkar, came to her defense and slammed trolls for mocking her emotional breakdown. Sharing a video on Instagram, Tony questioned the criticism, writing, "Fans bhi rote hain... Fans ka rona fake nahi toh artist ka kaise fake? (Fans cry too… If their emotions aren’t fake, why is an artist's)?"
Neha responded to his post, expressing her love and gratitude, commenting, "I love you the most, bhaiyu."
Tony continued supporting his sister, referring to her as "Queen she is, my sister... my Jaan."
Tony hints at mismanagement
On Monday, Tony shared a series of cryptic posts, seemingly hinting at mismanagement as the reason behind Neha's Melbourne concert fiasco. Without taking names, he narrated a hypothetical scenario.
"Suppose I invite you to my city for an event and take full responsibility for all arrangements— booking your hotel, car, airport pickup, and tickets. Now, imagine you arrive only to find that nothing has been booked. No car at the airport, no hotel reservation, and no tickets. In that situation, who is to blame?" Tony asked.
In another post, he questioned the double standards in how artists are treated, writing, "Artiste maryada mein rahe, aur janta (Artists are expected to maintain dignity, but what about the audience?)"
What happened on the day of concert
Soon after arriving on stage, Neha broke down while expressing gratitude to the audience for waiting patiently. In the now-viral videos, she is heard saying, "Guys, you are really sweet! You have been patient. Itni der se aap log wait kar rahe ho. I hate it, maine life mein kabhi kisi ko wait nahi karwaya hai. Aap itni der se wait kar rahe ho, I’m so sorry! It means a lot to me. I will remember this evening forever. Aaj aap log mere liye itna kimti time nikaal kar aaye ho. I will make sure that I will make you all dance."
As Neha apologised, several angry fans yelled from the audience. One fan shouted, "Wapas jaao, apne hotel mein aaram karo."
