Pippa Makers Issue Apology Over AR Rahman's Rendition Of Nazrul Islam's Islamic song Karar Oi Louho Kopat

AR Rahman's rendition of Bengali poet Nazrul Islam's patriotic song 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat' for war-drama 'Pippa' has been slammed by netizens.

Pippa Makers Issue Apology

Mumbai: Ishaan Khatter and Mrunal Thakur's recently released biographical war film 'Pippa', based on the life story of Captain Balram Singh Mehta, has come under fire and facing backlash for using a rendition of 'Karar Oi Louho Kopat' in the series. Netizens slammed the use of the song and voiced their dislike on social media, prompting the makers to issue an apology over the matter. 

The producers of Pippa, the Roy Kapur Films took to their official Instagram handle and shared a statement on the same. The letter read, "In light of the current discourse surrounding the song ‘Karar Oi Louho Kopat’ 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 approached the making of this song by faithfully following both the letter and the spirit of the license agreement for the lyrics, as duly signed with the 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."

'Pippa', which released on November 10 on Amazon Prime Video, is a story with the Bangladesh liberation of 1971 in the backdrop. 

It is produced by Ronnie Screwvala under the banner of RSVP Movies and Siddharth Roy Kapur's Roy Kapur Films, and directed by Raja Krishna Menon. The series also featured Priyanshu Painyuli and Soni Razdan in pivotal roles.

Based on the book 'The Burning Chaffees' by Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta, the film is written by Menon, Tanmay Mohan, and Ravinder Randhawa.

The title of the film is a tribute to the amphibious war tank called the PT-76 (Palavushi Tanka), popularly known as 'Pippa,' akin to an empty tin of ghee that smoothly floats on water.