Rapper Honey Singh has spoken on the ongoing controversy surrounding Pathaan starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. The first song‘Besharam Rang’ has created an uproar and has seen polarizing responses on the choices of clothes of Deepika Padukone. Singh said that earlier people weren’t this sensitive and would take things as entertainment.
Speaking to PTI, Honey Singh gave the example of the song ‘Rukmani Rukmani’ from the 1992 film Roja and said, “Freedom was much more earlier. People may have been less educated but they were far more sensible. They were intellectually wiser and would take things as entertainment. They wouldn’t take anything to heart… Rahman sir had a song, ‘Rukmani Rukmani shaadi ke baad kya kya hua’ (What happened after marriage, Rukmani?)… People accepted it. I grew up listening to it, but when I made such lyrics, people started protesting. Now it’s even worse, people have become way too sensitive. I can’t fathom why. It’s just entertainment.”
Honey Singh had previously crooned ‘Lungi Dance’ for Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in Chennai Express.He added, “People were so intelligent at that time. They understood shayari and never saw it as something dirty. Nowadays, if someone makes songs like ‘Choli ke peeche kya hai’, people will sit on their head and ask, ‘What’s happening?’”
Most recently, a complaint was filed seeking registration of an FIR against Pathaan in Mumbai for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of people and “intentional” use of the colour saffron to offend the Hindu religion. As per reports, the complaint was filed by an activist at Sakinaka Police Station in Mumbai.
Before that, Vineet Jindal, an advocate at Supreme Court, had filed a complaint with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry against the lead actors for “objectional video” amid the ‘Besharam Rang’ row. The complaint has been filed to seek to ban the release of Pathaan till the “correctness of objectionable song”.
The film has been in multiple controversies. Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) national spokesperson Vinod Bansal demanded that the movie should be boycotted and banned. He slammed the costumes of Deepika Padukone in ‘Besharam Rang’.
In another incident, a mahant of Ayodhya’s Hanuman Garhi Raju Das called for people to set fire to the theatres that screen the movie. He also said that this has insulted religious sentiments. This comes after Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra raised issues against objectionable costumes in ‘Besharam Rang’ and Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam said that the film that insults Hindutva will not be tolerated.
