Delhi:The National Commission for Women (NCW) has fixed a date for hearing in connection with the controversy over the song Sarke Chunar. Actor and dancer Nora Fatehi has been summoned to appear before the Commission on May 7 at 11:30 am.The hearing will take place at NCW, Jasola as per the schedule and time.
The issue first came under the scanner in March when the NCW summoned Nora Fatehi, actor Sanjay Dutt, lyricist Raqueeb Alam, producer Venkat K. Narayana and director Kiran Kumar after taking suo motu cognizance of media reports related to the song Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke.
In a statement at the time, the Commission said the song appeared to include “sexually suggestive and objectionable” content. It further said the visuals and lyrics raised concerns under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the IT Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, ANI reported.
The NCW said it had taken the matter seriously in view of reports and complaints of obscenity and vulgarity in the track. The Commission noted that the content was prima facie objectionable and required closer scrutiny.
The song soon earned controversy following its release. The track, which starred Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt, was criticised by several quarters with some groups and individuals claiming that the lyrics and visuals objectified women. Soon followed calls for legal action and the removal of the song from circulation, turning it into a wider public debate.
The issue was later taken up by Parliament, too. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the Lok Sabha that the song was banned in view of the complaints and backlash against it. The issue was raised in a debate post a question by Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadouria.
Earlier, Nora Fatehi, who has featured in Sarke Chunar with Sanjay Dutt, has responded to the controversy through a video on Instagram.In the clip she revealed that the song was actually filmed three years ago. She said the makers translated the Kannada lyrics into Hindi on their own and used them without taking her approval. Nora said she agreed to be a part of the project because of the people attached to it including what she called “icon” Sanjay Dutt.
She also alleged that an AI-generated image of her and Sanjay Dutt has been created, which she claimed to be strongly against. Speaking more about the situation, the Dilbar Dilbar actor said that independent artistes like her don’t have strong backing in the industry like star kids and have to face such situations alone. "I saw the song in Kannada and Hindi and I warned the director of the film that the Hindi lyrics might cause a backlash," Nora said. But she said that those concerns were ignored. This was also why she opted not to push the song from the start, she added.
The actor then thanked the audience for voicing out against the track saying that it was the public outrage that made the makers to remove it from social media platforms. In her caption she wrote, “I would hate for anyone to think I endorse this.. thank you for the backlash because of this pressure the filmmakers have luckily taken it down Id also request everyone to stop sharing the song because ur just giving it a platform unnecessarily. Side note I see some of u guys trying to use this as an opportunity to attack my character.. it’s unfortunate Anyway me and my team will be more careful in the future in such situations. But I do want to say again that I had no idea about this Hindi“I would hate for anyone to think I endorse this..thank you for the backlash because of this pressure the filmmakers have luckily taken it down. Id also request everyone to stop sharing the song because ur just giving it a platform unnecessarily,” she captioned. On a side note I see some of u guys trying to use this as an opportunity to attack my character..it’s unfortunateAnyways me and my team will be more careful in the future in such situations.
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