Aamir Khan Productions has refused to grant rights to any political party to use a song on price rise from the film 'Peepli Live'.
"It is a film that is meant for audiences and it doesn't lend itself in any way to political use. This song is part of the story of the film which is a humorous take on the urban and rural divide that exists in India and inflation is a general issue," a spokesperson of the production house said on Saturday, reports Times of India.
"Aamir Khan Productions also maintain a strictly apolitical stance and so there is no question of letting the song be used in any kind of political campaign," the spokesperson added.Opposition parties had contacted Aamir Khan Productions for procuring the song, 'Mehngai Dayan', from the yet-to-be-released film.
The song, sung by Raghuvir Yadav, talks about how price rise in causing woes for the common man. Opposition parties wanted to use the song for the election campaign in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
It was a shrewd move on the part of the opposition parties, mainly NDA, till the production house said no. Congress had spotted the same opportunity when it adopted 'Jai Ho' as its anthem last year before the general elections. The song from 'Peepli Live', sung in a rural style, complains about the hike in petrol and diesel prices.
Congress has rubbished the opposition move as a political gimmick. Rajeev Shukla of Congress said, "BJP wants to take political advantage of everything, including films. Let them play this song in NDA-ruled states."'Jai Ho' was not the first time that a political party borrowed from Bollywood. 'Chak De ...' was used by the Gujarat Congress unit in 2007 before the state election there.
Lyricist Sameer said, "I had written a parody of the song 'Chor Bazari' from 'Love Aaj Kal' for chief minister Ashok Chavan for his election campaign. Cinema and music always connect with people and that is perhaps the reason most political parties use film music and artistes."
The lyricist recalls how his father Anjaan's song from 'Don', 'Khaike Pan Banaraswala', pictured on Amitabh Bachchan and sung by Kishore Kumar, was used by Congress to promote Bachchan during his 1984 election campaign in Allahabad.
"I also remember 'Mehangai Maar Gayee', from Manoj Kumar's film 'Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan' being used by political parties against the ruling party," he added.
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