After the release of the song, the general audience in Bangladesh and India as well as Nazrul musicians and fans expressed widespread dissatisfaction with the remake.
The makers of the movie have apologized after facing widespread criticism in two Bengali countries over the distortion of the song ‘Karar Oi Louhakpat’ by the national poet of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam, which was used in the recently released movie ‘Pippa’ in India.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, production house Roy Kapur Films issued a statement apologizing for the controversy surrounding AR Rahman’s rendition of Kazi Nazrul Islam’s song ‘Karar Oi Louhakpat’.
Directed by Raja Krishna Menon and starring Ishaan Khattar, Mrinal Thakur, Priyanshu Painuli and Soni Razdan, the film was released on November 10 on Amazon Prime Video. The film depicts the war between India and Pakistan in the then East Pakistan during the 1971 Liberation War.
Produced by RSVP Movies and Roy Kapur Films, the film was a remake of Nazrul’s song ‘Karar Oi Louhakpat’.
Indian singers Rahul Dutta, Tirtha Bhattacharya, Piyush Das, Shrayi Pal, Shalini Mukherjee and Dilasa Chowdhury have sung the remake version by Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman.
After the release of the song, the general audience in Bangladesh and India as well as Nazrul musicians and fans expressed widespread dissatisfaction with the remake.
In response, the makers of the film said, ‘We understand the emotions of the audience. They have a different passion for original writing. It is not our intention to hurt anyone’s feelings. We sincerely apologize for this unintentional error.’
The statement said, various discussions are going on around the song ‘Karar Ai Louhakpat’. Producers, directors and music composers of the film Pippa said that the rendition of the song was a sincere artistic interpretation, with no other motive behind it. And the song has been reviewed with all rights from Kazi Nazrul Islam’s family.’
“We have taken both the license agreement letter for the song signed by Late Kalyani Kazi and witnessed by Anirban Kazi,” the statement said.
The producers said their intention was to respect the cultural significance of the song while adhering to the terms stipulated in the contract. There was no other motive behind it.
The statement claimed, ‘We have deep respect for the original work and late Kazi Nazrul Islam. Who contributed immensely to the musical, political and social welfare of the Indian subcontinent. This album was created as a tribute to the men and women who sacrificed their lives in war.’
The statement also said, “We have not forgotten the sentiments of Bangladesh’s struggle for liberation and its struggle for freedom, peace and justice.”
Earlier on Saturday in a press conference organized at the Kabi Nazrul Institute of Dhanmondi in the capital, several prominent Nazrul musicians of the country gave an official statement against the ‘distortion’ of the song.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Nazrul Sangeet Association Khairul Anam Shakeel, Kazi Nazrul Islam’s granddaughter Mishti Kazi, Nazrul artist Sadia Afrin Mallik, eminent Nazrul musician Shaheen Samad, musician Bulbul Islam and others were present at the press conference.
Tags: Nazruls Karar Louhakpat Controversy Pippa Tim Apologizes
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