NEW DELHI: Actor Sanjay Dutt appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday in connection with the controversy surrounding the song “Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke”. He submitted a written apology, expressing regret for any “unintended” harm caused to society.During the hearing chaired by NCW chief Vijaya Rahatkar, the commission expressed concern over alleged vulgar and indecent portrayal of women in a song from the film “KD The Devil”. It questioned the intent, awareness, and accountability behind its creation and participation.The chairperson asked whether proper due diligence had been carried out before being associated with content that could be seen as objectifying women. She also stressed the responsibility of senior and influential public figures to ensure their work adheres to legal norms and societal standards.As a corrective step, Dutt has pledged to sponsor the education of 50 tribal girl children as part of initiatives aimed at social welfare and women’s empowerment, the NCW said in a statement. He also 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, could not appear before the commission as she is currently abroad and has requested a fresh date for the hearing.On April 6, other individuals associated with the song, including director Kiran Kumar alias Prem, lyricist Raqueeb Alam, and representatives of KVN Production Company, Gautam KM and Suprith, appeared before the commission and tendered their apologies. The NCW underlined that while artistic freedom is important, it must be exercised with responsibility and sensitivity, reiterating the need for accountability in content reaching wide public audiences and reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the dignity and representation of women.The Hindi version of the song, released on March 15 on YouTube, faced strong public backlash over its sexually explicit lyrics.Following the controversy, the makers removed the Hindi version from YouTube, though it had already been widely circulated across multiple platforms.Fatehi later clarified in a video that she had only shot for the Kannada version and that her consent was not taken for its use in the Hindi version. The lyricist, singer, and director also issued apologies.The matter was also raised in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour last month by Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Anand Bhadoria.Union Information and Broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the song had already been banned, adding that the government was prepared to take action against such vulgar content. “KD The Devil” is a Kannada film, dubbed in four languages, including Hindi. It will release on April 30. The film features Dhruva Sarja, V Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind, Shilpa Shetty, and Dutt. (With agency inputs)
