Date:02/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/02/stories/2007120260621000.htm

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‘Aaja Nachle’: objectionable words deleted

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: Yash Raj films, which produced “Aaja Nachle,” on Saturday apologised to all those whose sentiments were hurt by some words in the lyrics of the title track of the movie.

In a statement here, the company said: “It was not our intention to hurt anybody. We have taken immediate steps to rectify the damage caused and have instructed all our distributors and exhibitors to delete the objectionable words from the song as of Friday night.”

Yash Chopra, chairperson of Yash Raj Films, said: “If we have inadvertently hurt the sentiments of anybody, I apologise for the same and have taken immediate remedial action by deleting the line from the prints of ‘Aaja Nachle’ from all over the country. This line has been deleted in all the theatres on Saturday.”

The company said it was making “family-oriented” films and propagating Indian culture through them and would never do anything detrimental to the sentiments of the people.

The Bahujan Samaj Party, in a memorandum to Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, said the songs used derogatory words and had called for a ban on the film in the State. The Prime Minister had also been requested to ban the film all over the country.

Lyricist apologises

PTI reports from New Delhi:

Piyush Mishra, the lyricist of the film, has offered an unconditional apology over the objections raised on the lyrics, saying he had no intention of hurting the sentiments of any caste.

“If my lyrics have hurt the sentiments of anyone, then I offer my apology. However, I did not have any intention to hurt anybody,” Mr. Mishra told PTI. The script writer of films such as The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Yahan and 1971, Mr. Mishra said he could not even imagine hurting anyone’s sentiments.