‘KD: The Devil’ director Prem breaks silence on ‘Sarke Chunar’ row being a publicity stunt: 'Why would I want controversy?'

Prem, the director of the film 'KD: The Devil,' has officially addressed the mounting controversy surrounding the track ‘Sarke Chunar.’ Featuring Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt, the Hindi version of the song recently faced intense backlash on social media, leading to a formal complaint with the CBFC and rumors of a "publicity stunt. The criticism ranged from its lyrics to reports of a fatwa issued against actor Nora Fatehi. Addressing speculation that the uproar was deliberately generated for attention, director Prem has firmly dismissed such claims, insisting that controversy was never part of the plan.Clarifying his stance, Prem emphasised that ‘KD The Devil’ is fundamentally an emotional narrative, and the song was intended purely as a fun, celebratory number for audiences to enjoy at gatherings. “I don’t want any controversy. Mine is an emotional film, and the song is meant to be something people dance to at parties. It’s been well received in Karnataka and Kerala. Why would I want controversy?” he shared with Hindustan Times. Prem further explained that while he originally penned the Kannada version of the song, lyricist Raqueeb Alam adapted the Hindi lyrics. He admitted that his limited understanding of Hindi prevented him from fully grasping the nuances of the translated lines that later triggered backlash. “Everything went smoothly with the Kannada original. I didn’t understand the Hindi words used in translation as I am not fluent in the language,” he shared, adding that such expressions are common in his rural cultural background.Responding to the criticism, the filmmaker revealed that the controversial portions of ‘Sarke Chunar’ have now been modified, and the revised version will be submitted to the Censor Board. Offering an apology, Prem said, “If anyone is hurt, I am very sorry. Our big film faced a small lyrics issue, but it has been blown out of proportion. There are so many larger problems in the world, war hai, LPG gas ki problem hai toh kyun ek gaane pe itni badi controversy kar di?”For the unversed, the song ‘Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke’ from ‘KD: The Devil’, featuring Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt, recently landed in controversy after facing strong backlash on social media. Several users criticised the Hindi lyrics, which led to widespread debate and eventually a formal complaint being filed with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Following the growing outrage, the makers decided to take down the Hindi version of the track. This particular version was sung by Mangli, written by Raqueeb Aalam and composed by Karan Janya. However, the film’s other versions of the song in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam are still available online, as the criticism has largely been directed only at the Hindi lyrics.