New Delhi, March 19 Following the uproar over the vulgar lyrics of the song "Sarke Chunar", its singer Mangli has apologized, saying that the team's intention was never to offend anyone's sensibilities.
In a statement posted on Instagram last night, the Telugu folk singer said that 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 apologize to each and every one of you for this unintentional mistake. It was never meant to offend anyone, and we truly regret this oversight," Mangli shared on Instagram.
"We assure you that such a situation will not arise again. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the filmmakers and music director Arjun Janya, whom I deeply respect," she said.
The Hindi version of the song, released earlier in the week, caused a massive uproar due to its sexually explicit lyrics, and the matter was even raised in Parliament, with the government stating that the song had already been banned.
Actor Nora Fatehi, who appears in the dance video of the song along with Sanjay Dutt, and lyricist Raqeeb Alam have distanced themselves from the controversy. Fatehi said that she recorded the Kannada version three years ago, and when she heard the Hindi version, she had already alerted the makers.
Alam said that he had also warned the makers that the Hindi lyrics were vulgar. Alam said that he was asked 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 uproar, leading the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to issue notice to the Information and Broadcasting ministry and the Censor Board, which in turn said that 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. He said that unchecked content on OTT platforms and social media was a bad influence.
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 the Constitution have 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 society and culture," Vaishnaw said.
"KD The Devil" is a Kannada film, dubbed in four languages, including Hindi. It will be released on April 30.