New Delhi, Mar 19: Following the uproar over the vulgar lyrics of the song “Sarke Chunar”, its singer Mangli has apologised, saying the team’s intention was never to hurt anyone’s sentiments.
In a statement posted on Instagram last night, the Telugu folk singer said the lyrics of the song have been updated and the correct version will be released soon.
“Out of respect for public sentiment, the song has been removed from all platforms. I sincerely apologies to each and every one of you for the unintended mistake. It was never meant to hurt anyone’s sentiments, and we truly regret the oversight,” Mangli shared in a post on Instagram.
“We assure you that such a situation will not arise again. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the makers of the film and music director Arjun Janya sir, for whom I have the highest regard,” she said.
The Hindi version of the song, released early in the week, caused a massive uproar for its sexually explicit lyrics and the matter was even raised in Parliament with the government saying the song has already been banned.
Actor Nora Fatehi, who features in the dance video of the song along with Sanjay Dutt, and lyricist Raqeeb Alam have distanced themselves from the controversy. Fatehi said she recorded the Kannada version three years ago and when she heard the Hindi version, she had already flagged the issue to the makers.
Alam said he too had warned the makers that Hindi lyrics were vulgar. Alam said he was told to do a literal translation from the Kannada version and that’s what he did. The Kannada lyrics were written by the movie’s director Prem.
The makers pulled down the video soon after the furore that led the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to issue notice to the Information and Broadcasting ministry and the Censor Board, which in turn said it had nothing to do with the matter since the song was released on YouTube.
Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Anand Bhadoria brought up the song’s vulgarity in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour. Unchecked content on OTT platforms and social media was a bad influence, he said.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in his response that the song has already been banned.
“A ban has been imposed on the song. The framers of Constitution placed certain reasonable restrictions, and we should function within those limits. Freedom of speech cannot be absolute, it has to be in the context of the society and culture,” Vaishnaw said.
“KD The Devil” is a Kannada film, dubbed in four languages, including Hindi. It will release on April 30. (PTI)
