AR Rahman's 'Pippa' Song 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat’ Draws Flak: Here's What Happened

'Karar Oi Louho Kopat’ is a Bengali protest song originally written by the late legendary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

AR Rahman's rendition of the popular Bengali protest song 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat' in the movie Pippa has drawn criticism from the audience for 'distorting' the "symphony and essence" of the original track. The song was originally a creation of the revolutionary late Bengali lyricist and poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

The family members of the late litterateur also expressed their discontentment with the rendition.

After facing the criticism on social media, the makers of the film issued an official statement of apology. However, according to a report by The Times of India, Nazrul Islam's grandson and granddaughter refused to accept the apology.

Here's all you need to know about the controversy:

Why Are Listeners Upset With the Rendition?

Nazrul Islam's 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat' (Iron bars of jail) is considered to be one of the most impactful protest songs in Bengal till date. According to reports, the song was written in June 1922, upon the request of a freedom fighter's wife.

Anirban Kazi, the kin of the late poet, told The Times of India in a statement, "When Chittaranjan Das was imprisoned in 1922, his wife Basanti Devi had asked my grandfather to pen something. He wrote, 'Karar Oi Louha Kopat' to honour that request. It was recorded in June 1949, sung by Girin Chakraborty."

Nazrul Islam, popularly known as the 'rebel poet' of Bengal, was second in terms of popularity after Rabindranath Tagore in the state. His songs, called 'Nazrul Geeti', earned him the moniker of Bangladesh's national poet.

Following the release of the revised version of 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat' in Pippa, several listeners complained that the new version sounds more like a "light-hearted romantic melody" than a patriotic song.

One of the users wrote on YouTube, "Kazi Nazrul Islam is our national poet. 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat' is one of our major patriotic songs. This song portrays Bengali's invincible emotion toward freedom fight. This song and its tune motivated us, inspired us against all wrong and injustice. This song is deeply rooted to our heart. The way you have changed the entire tune and music of this song is extremely painful for me, for all of us. You can't experiment with our sacred song."

"'Kara Oi Louho Kopat' not only a song, It's a core reflection of patriotism, revolution, respect and above all it's an emotion. You never erase or disrespect one's emotion. I respected AR Rahman as an living legend. But I felt sorry for myself. AR Rahman sir, you can't image how much you hurt us," another user wrote on the video-sharing platform.

Pippa, starring Ishaan Khatter and Mrunal Thakur, is inspired from the real-life events of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, which led to the formation of Bangladesh.

The Makers of 'Pippa' Issue an Apology

Helmed by Raja Krishna Menon, Pippa is a biographical war drama based on the book ‘The Burning Chaffees’, authored by Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta. It is produced by Ronnie Screwvala under the banner of RSVP Movies and Siddharth Roy Kapur's Roy Kapur Films.

Following the uproar, Roy Kapur Films issued an apology on social media on 13 November. In their statement, the makers tried to defend the revised version of the song by saying that they had acquired its rights but are apologetic for hurting people’s sentiments attached to it.

The statement read, “In light of the current discourse surrounding the song ‘Karar Oi Louho Kayo!’ the producers, director and music composer of the film Pippa wish to clarify that our rendition of the song is a sincere artistic interpretation, embarked upon only after securing the necessary adaptation rights from the estate of the Late Mr. Kazi Nazrul Islam. We have deep respect for the original composition and for the Late Mr. Kazi Nazrul Islam, whose contribution to the musical, political and social landscape of the Indian subcontinent is immeasurable. This album was created as a tribute to the men and women who dedicated their lives to the liberation of Bangladesh and keeping in mind the sentiments of their struggle for freedom, peace and justice.”

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“We approached the slaking of this song by faithfully following boils the letter and the spirit of the license agreement for the lyrics, as duly signed with Late Mrs. Kalyani Kazi and witnessed by Mr. Anirban Kazi. Our intent was to pay homage to the cultural significance of the song while adhering to the terms set forth in our agreement, which permitted us to use the lyrics with a new composition. We understand the emotional attachment that audiences may have to the original composition, and while all art is inherently subjective, if our interpretation has hurt sentiments or caused unintended distress, we offer our sincere apologies," it further read.

Nazrul Islam's Family Reacts to the Controversy

Addressing the controversy surrounding the changes in the rhythm of the song, Nazrul Islam's grandson and painter, Anirban, told PTI on 11 November, "My mother had given her consent for using the song for the movie but not for changing the tunes. The way the song has been dished out with the change in rhythm and tunes is shocking."

Anindita Kazi, the late poet's granddaughter, told the agency, "As members of his family and lovers of his creations, we cannot accept this distortion. We want it to be immediately omitted from the film and removed from the public domain."

In another statement given to The Times of India, Anirban said, "An apology post on X is not enough for such disrespect. The least they can do is remove the song from the film, along with my mother's and my name from the credit."

"We could not fathom that an artist like Rahman could be so insensitive and murder the song like this. As a protest, I don't want our family's name in 'special thanks' in the film's credit line. That was one of the clauses in our agreement with the production house. I have shared my reservations with the production house," he told the publication.

“I am not accepting the apology," Anindita told The Daily in a statement.