MID-DAY (April 24, 2017)

Organizers of Justin Bieber’s May 10 Mumbai concert are going all out to make the event a star-studded affair, but singer-composer Kailash Kher is not happy about it. The Padma Shri winner has admitted that getting actress Sonakshi Sinha on board to perform at the gig over other acclaimed Indian singers is not a good sign.

“It doesn’t give a good message internationally. They (people overseas) will think that Sonakshi must be a big singer in India. Then she will get concert offers, and then probably Sonakshi will laugh them off saying, ‘I am not a singer but an actor’,” Kailash told IANS.

Sonakshi made her debut as a singer in 2015 with a single titled Ishqholic, and also judged music reality show Indian Idol 4 unior. Getting a Bollywood A lister on board has become a sine qua non for event managers, he argues, adding, “Whenever any singer from the West comes to India, we get an actor on board to match their level. We don’t get singer for another singer, but actor… Event managers and producers of the entertainment industry are so scared.” The actress will perform as one of the opening acts at the highly anticipated gig at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.