'Pippa' producers issue statement of apology

Oscar-winning musician AR Rahman faced severe criticism for the remake of National Poet of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam's song "Karar Oi Louho Kopat". The general audience from both sides of the border has also been taunting Rahman about the song.

The abovementioned song was used in the Bollywood film "Pippa" directed by Raja Krishna Menon. After its release, complaints about the distortion of the famed Nazrul Sangeet poured in. The condemnation and protest of the audience of Bengals did not go in vain as they were able to shock the producers of "Pippa".

One of the producers of "Pippa", Siddharth Roy Kapur of Roy Kapur Films, apologised on Monday afternoon with an official statement. In addition, they also provided a statement of their defense.

Given the storm of criticism surrounding Nazrul's song, they commented, "In the situation that has arisen with this song, we as producers, directors and music directors have made the song for the sake of art only after taking the necessary rights from Nazrul's family."

The statement also read, "We have deep respect for Nazrul Islam and his creations." Along with this, the statement also mentioned that the rights to this song were taken from Nazrul's daughter-in-law Kalyani Kazi and grandson Kazi Anirban following all the necessary protocols. It was disclosed there, "We intended to pay tribute to the historical significance of the song. The use of lyrics and changes in tune are contractually agreed."

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Finally, the statement read, "We respect the audience's sentiments surrounding the original song. As the industry is dependent on personal views, we apologise if our actions hurt anyone's sentiments.''