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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Chakravyuh song taking a jibe at Tata, Ambani & others kicks up a storm; India Inc protests-Vijaya Rathore

Chakravyuh song taking a jibe at Tata, Ambani & others kicks up a storm; India Inc protests-Vijaya Rathore

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published Published on Sep 26, 2012   modified Modified on Sep 26, 2012
-The Economic Times

NEW DELHI:

Birla ho ya Tata, Ambani ho ya Bata

Sabne apne chakkar mein des ko hai kaata

Are humre hi khoon se inka

Engine chale dhakadhak

(Be it Birla or Tata, Ambani or Bata

Everyone has exploited the nation for their own benefit

Their engine runs on our blood)

The names of some of India's top corporate houses may seem to rhyme well in this Bollywood ballad, but its drift, insinuating that business groups like Tatas and Birlas have exploited the poor for profits, is reverberating like a jarring note across India Inc.

While industry associations are debunking the song, the Aditya Birla Group on Tuesday came out strongly saying it would take up the issue with authorities concerned. "Such a line (in the song) is in poor taste. It also casts a sneer on the credibility of the filmmaker. We will take up the matter with the concerned authority," said Ashok Gupta, group legal head and chief legal officer at Aditya Birla Group.

The lyrics, part of the song 'Mahangai' in Prakash Jha's soon-to-be-released film Chakravyuh, has been written by AM Turaz.

The last two lines in the portion quoted above insinuate that these business groups have exploited the nation for their own benefit. Their engine runs on our blood, the lines conclude.

Jibe at Business Houses Unfair, Says CII

Jha justifies it saying his film is based on the Naxal movements and using the names of big corporate houses is only to drive home the message and not to belittle anyone.
Jha, who is known for making realistic, hard-hitting and socio-political films filled with drama, has got this one wrong, industry supporters say. "This is irresponsible populism. It is not right to besmirch reputation of corporates like this," says Suhel Seth, managing partner, Counselage India. Seth advises companies on branding strategies. "The amount of work (social good) the Birlas and the Tatas have done is something that Prakash Jha cannot even fathom," he says.

Industry body Confederation of Indian Industry said Jha's jibe at business houses is unfair. "If somebody wants to communicate a certain message, it can be done in some other manner too," says Amita Sarkar, senior director at CII. "No corporate house would like to be projected in this manner."

Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries did not respond to mails sent by ET while Anil Ambani-promoted ADAG-Reliance group, Tata Group, and shoemaker Bata said they would not like to comment on the issue.

Many businessmen and CEOs ET spoke to for this story expressed anger at the song's insinuation. "This is a disturbing trend," one entrepreneur, who did not want to be named, said.

Only a few felt that the use of those names in the song was warranted. "For decades these names have been used in common parlance and I think in our democracy it is perfectly legitimate to use these names," says Santosh Desai, a social commentator and managing director of Future Brands. "The wealthy can live with that."

Corporates have always had two sides, says social scientist Shiv Viswanathan. On one side they are a sign of hope and reflection of success and entrepreneurship in society. But on the other, there has always been a suspicion of nexus between politicians and corporates.

"The song does not aim to be nasty and it is a generic representation of the capitalist situation," says Viswanathan. In terms of aesthetic licence and sociological freedom, Jha is reasonably accurate, he adds.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has already asked the filmmaker to run a disclaimer with the song's promo saying "the names used in the song are symbolic and do not intend to harm or disrespect any brand or individual".

"We objected because to us those names are not names of individuals, but also of brands. And brands have sentiments of a large number of people associated with them," says Pankaja Thakur, chief executive officer of CBFC. "With that condition, we have given clearance to the film's trailor," Thakur said.

But she clarified that the full film is yet to go to the board for clearance, and the song will pass muster only after the entire film is seen to understand the context of the song.

Jha is confident he will release the film on October 24 with an unedited version of the song. "There is no intention to harm any brand or individual. We will show the film with this disclaimer when it releases on October 24." Co-produced by Prakash Jha Productions and Eros International Media, the flick features popular actors like Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Om Puri and Manoj Bajpayee.

The Economic Times, 26 September, 2012, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/media/entertainment/entertainment/chakravyuh-song-taking-a-jibe-at-tata-ambani-others-kicks-up-a-storm


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