One night, two singers, and the same abrupt ending. A day after Shilpa Rao’s set at Mumbai’s Bollywood Music Project was cut short, it has emerged that the festival’s closing act met the same fate: Himesh Reshammiya, the last artist on stage on 24 October 2026, also had his microphone switched off after the event ran past its scheduled closing time. The Himesh Reshammiya mic cut off arrived with a twist nobody scripted: moments before the sound died, Himesh had joked that he would keep performing until they switched off his mic.
The tenth edition of Bollywood Music Project, organised by Eva Live, took place at Jio World Gardens in Mumbai, with Shilpa Rao second-last and Himesh Reshammiya closing the show. What happened between those two sets has turned the festival into a talking point about schedules, venue curfews and how much time a headliner is really given.
The final act of a long festival night
By the time Himesh Reshammiya walked on stage, the evening was already running late, after a long line-up including Neeraj Shridhar, Roop Kumar Rathod, Anu Malik, Euphoria and Hariharan. Earlier in the night, Shilpa Rao’s performance had been interrupted, her microphone cut and her sound stopped, leaving the audience furious.
Himesh’s job, in effect, was to rescue the night: to lift a crowd that had just watched a fellow singer’s set end in confusion. Reports from the festival describe a performer who leaned into that challenge, opening with high-energy numbers that kept the audience singing along.
That context matters, because the Himesh Reshammiya mic cut off did not happen in isolation. It was the second time in one evening that the festival’s clock overruled its stage.
A setlist built on twenty years of hits
Himesh Reshammiya opened with Tera Surroor, then Viraaniya from Namastey London, Tanhaiyan, Naam Hai Tera and the title song of Tere Naam. The crowd sang along throughout.
Singer Pragati Nagpal then joined him to sing the female portions of the songs that followed, including Yahi Hota Pyaar, Aashiqui Mein Teri, Afsaana Banaaya Aapne from the upcoming Gunmaaster G9, Aashiq Banaya Aapne, Kheech Meri Photo, Hookah Bar, Soniye, and Ek Haseena Thi and Tandoori Nights from Karzzzz, plus a medley of Jhalak Dikhla Ja, Sanam Teri Kasam, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, Kitne Armaan and Aye Meri Zohrajabeen.
Sonia Kapoor’s poem and the moment fans went ‘Awwww’
Midway through the set, Himesh’s wife, Sonia Kapoor, joined him on stage and recited a poem. Himesh then sang Main Jahaan Rahoon from Namastey London, embracing Sonia and kissing her on the forehead as the audience went “Awwww”.
It was a small, personal pause inside a very large show, and fans filming it treated it as one of the highlights of the night. The tenderness of that moment also sharpened what came later: an evening that had room for a poem and a forehead kiss did not, in the end, have room for its headliner to finish his set.
Ayushmann Khurrana’s surprise entry and ‘Lord Himesh’
The biggest surprise of the evening came when Ayushmann Khurrana suddenly appeared on stage. The actor joined Himesh Reshammiya to promote their upcoming film, Yeh Prem Mol Liya, which Ayushmann described as a Himesh Reshammiya musical with supremely hummable tracks.
Ayushmann told the cheering audience he was overwhelmed to see them, recalling a Himesh concert he had watched years ago, around his debut film Vicky Donor’s release in 2012. This, he said, was only his second Himesh Reshammiya concert. He then declared: “Lord Himesh is with us!”
The crowd then insisted Ayushmann sing Pani Da Rang from Vicky Donor. Himesh joked: “Maine aaj tak ‘Pani Da’ nahin gaaya. Main bhi gaa lu?” The crowd shouted yes, but Himesh let Ayushmann take the song, while he performed the title song of Yeh Prem Mol Liya.
Jokes, nasal notes and a running clock
Throughout the set, Himesh entertained the audience with his trademark humour, declaring there was no lip-sync or auto-tune in his performance, then asking: “Naak se gau ya khatarnaak se?” He then sang in his much-loved nasal voice and returned to Jhalak Dikhla Ja for a longer version that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
But between the jokes, the clock kept intruding. At one point he told the audience he had plenty of songs left but could not perform them all because of time constraints, adding that fans would have to come to his Capmania Tour to hear the rest.
One claim about the schedule must be reported as a claim, not a fact: the manager of singer Kutle Khan has alleged that Himesh Reshammiya’s soundcheck lasted around three hours and squeezed the time available for other performers. That allegation has not been independently verified.
‘I will perform until they switch off my mic’ — and then they did
Towards the end of his performance, Himesh shot a selfie video with the crowd behind him, then said he wanted to perform for the audience for 24 hours, but that the organisers had given him only a little time. The remark prompted loud boos. He continued: “Kya karoon? If you guys want, main subah tak hilunga nahin!”
Even as his set drew to a close, Himesh seemed reluctant to leave the stage. He then said: “I will perform until they don’t switch off my mic.” That is precisely what happened next. With the event past its scheduled 10:00 pm closing time, the organisers switched off his microphone, ending his performance. Himesh kept speaking even after it was switched off, hoping his voice would reach the fans. His efforts were in vain.
Reports from the festival note how striking those remarks were in light of what had happened to Shilpa Rao earlier in the evening. Whether Himesh intended them as a dig at the organisers is not known. What is certain is that his joke became the headline of his own set, and the Himesh Reshammiya mic cut off became the image fans carried home: a headliner still talking, unheard, on a stage that had run out of time.
At the time of writing, no separate organiser statement about Himesh Reshammiya’s microphone being switched off had been reported. The organisers had earlier apologised for the abrupt end to Shilpa Rao’s set, blaming operational shifts, extended earlier sets, local authority guidelines and the venue curfew. Whether that apology covers the whole evening, or only Shilpa Rao’s set, remains unclear. Until then, the Himesh Reshammiya mic cut off remains the festival’s defining image.
Related Posts
ShowbizShilpa Rao’s Mic Cut Off Twice at Mumbai Concert: What Happened at Bollywood Music Project
ShowbizThe Last Glance Qualifies for 2027 Oscars Longlist: Pakistani Short Film’s Historic Win
ShowbizAmeer Gilani and Mawra Hocane Welcome Baby Boy Azmar — ‘It Means Lion’
ShowbizAamir Khan Breaks Down at the Singapore Film Festival: Thirty Years of Work Cost Me My Family Time
ShowbizHareem Farooq Reveals Her Morning Secret: She Thanks Her Body Every Day
ShowbizRamsha Khan Quits Showbiz: ‘I Don’t Want to Be on Camera Again’Most Popular
How-ToPTA Tax Calculator 2026: Check Mobile Tax on Any Phone267 views
SportsBallon d’Or 2026: London Ceremony, Nominees and All-Time Records Ahead of 70th Anniversary255 views
TechnologyAround 20 Pakistani Tech Companies Showcase Innovation at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco250 views
TechnologyRedmi K100 Launching on 28 October: 10,000mAh Battery, 185Hz Display and Full Specs240 views
Canada JobsTech Jobs in Canada: Roles, Salaries, and Skills Needed240 views
TechnologyPaklaunch UNConference 26.2 New York: Pakistani Founders Meet 80 Global Investors at the Yale Club236 views
