Hi guys, I just want to come on here to discuss this controversy regarding the song. First of all, I'm in the middle of grieving the loss of one of my closest friends, and I'm also in the middle of nowhere with no network, so I haven't been able to see what's going on. But I've gotten some updates today because I got a little bit of network, so I do want to clarify a couple of things. I'm going to make sure this is not a very long video, but hear me out, okay? One, I shot this song three years ago in a language called Kannada, which is part of a different industry called Sandalwood. When I shot this song three years ago, I said yes to it because it was part of a big film and it was with a big icon, Sanjay Dutt — who would say no to working with him? He's such an icon. It was a remake, at least that's what I thought, of Nayak Nahi Khalnayak Hoon Main, which is also a very iconic song. When I'm on set shooting for this song, I'm relying on the filmmakers to translate the song, and that is what I go by. When they translated it, nothing seemed inappropriate or vulgar to me. But then again, I don't understand Kannada, so I was relying on whatever they were telling me. Whatever they've done right now, which is creating a Hindi version and dubbing the voice in Hindi with lyrics that are very inappropriate, I had no idea about that. They didn't take any approvals or permission from me.
When I was invited for the launch event, I sat there and saw the Kannada version, which I already had a major issue with because they didn't take my approval when they created that lyrical version. They used very unflattering photos, and if anyone knows me, they know that I have to approve all my photos. They put this lyrical version out without my approval. Then they created an image of me and Sanjay Dutt using AI, which I am already against, so I was feeling really irritated at the event when I saw all that. I still had to remain respectful because I was in the presence of media, filmmakers, and people who give me opportunities, so I had to carry myself in a certain way. However, internally I was really conflicted with what I was seeing. Then they played the Hindi version, and when they did, I immediately knew there would be issues because at least I understand Hindi. I told the director this would not be okay and that it would receive backlash. I disassociated myself from the project. As you can see, I didn't promote it at all. I again flagged it to the director and said my image and reputation were on the line.
Here's the thing: as artists, especially artists like me, we don't really have backing. We're not nepo kids, we don't come with a certain power behind us. It's just us and the audience behind us. We have little power and little control. Thankfully, I've been lucky in Bollywood to work with people who respect my opinion, my creative calls, and who listen to me. But there are certain places and industries where they don't listen and don't care about my opinion. That's a conversation we can have another day. Because of this backlash, it pushed them to remove these songs, and I'm grateful for that. Also, just a side note to the media and pages consistently talking about this situation: if it bothers you so much, then you need to hold the filmmakers and the people who create such content accountable. Start using their names and images when controversies arise. Start highlighting them to the audience because only then will they have some fear, accountability, and responsibility when creating content. If you're only bombarding the audience with just the artist's name and image, it's counterproductive because we don't have control over such scenarios. If you really want a solution, then start holding the filmmakers and the people behind the content accountable. On that note, I will be more careful and more strict moving forward. I just want to say thank you for the backlash, because of that they've been able to take it down. Thank you.
