Actor Sanjay Dutt on Monday appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in connection with the controversy surrounding the song “Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke”, and submitted a written apology expressing regret for any “unintended” harm caused to society.
During the hearing, chaired by NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, the commission raised concerns over alleged vulgarity and the indecent representation of women in the song from the film “KD The Devil”.
The chairperson emphasised whether adequate due diligence had been undertaken before participating in content that could be perceived as promoting the objectification of women. She also underlined the responsibility of senior and influential public figures to ensure their work remains within legal and societal norms.
As a corrective measure, Dutt committed to sponsoring the education of 50 tribal girl children as part of efforts towards social welfare and women’s empowerment, the NCW said in a statement.
He further assured the commission that his future artist agreements would include mandatory legal due diligence provisions to ensure dignified and appropriate representation of women and children in films and related creative projects.
Actor Nora Fatehi, who was also summoned, did not appear as she is currently abroad and has sought a fresh date for the hearing.
Earlier, on April 6, others associated with the song, including director Kiran Kumar alias Prem, lyricist Raqueeb Alam, and representatives of KVN Production Company, Gautam K.M. and Suprith, appeared before the commission and submitted their apologies.
The NCW reiterated that while artistic freedom is important, it must be exercised with responsibility and sensitivity. It stressed the need for accountability in content reaching wide public audiences and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the dignity and representation of women.
The Hindi version of the song, released on March 15 on YouTube, had drawn public ire for its sexually explicit lyrics. Following the backlash, the makers removed the Hindi version from the platform, though it continued to circulate widely.
Fatehi later distanced herself from the controversy, stating in a video that she had shot for the Kannada version and that her permission had not been obtained for its use in the Hindi version.
The matter was also raised in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour by Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadoria.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the song had already been banned and that the government was prepared to take action against such vulgarity.
“KD The Devil”, a Kannada film dubbed in four languages including Hindi, is scheduled for release on April 30. The film features Dhruva Sarja, V. Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind, Shilpa Shetty, and Dutt.
(With inputs from PTI)
