Kazi Nazrul Islam’s relatives have refused to accept the apology that the makers of ‘Pippa’ issued on Monday over A R Rahman’s recreation of the iconic song, “Karar Oi Louho Kopat.”  

The ‘Pippa’ team stated on the RSVP production house’s X handle, “While all art is inherently subjective, if our interpretation has hurt sentiments or caused unintended distress, we offer our sincere apologies.”

In his reaction, Anirban said, “My mother never gave any right to change the tune. 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.”

Anindita Kazi said, “I am not accepting the apology.” Team ‘Pippa’ said, “...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.”

The team behind the film "Pippa" has clarified that their rendition of the poem "Karar oi louho kopat" is a sincere artistic interpretation and was done with the necessary adaptation rights. The controversy arose when A R Rahman's version of the poem was accused of distortion by the poet's family.

The team expressed deep respect for the original composition and the poet's contribution to the Indian subcontinent. They apologized if their version hurt sentiments and explained that they followed the terms of the license agreement. The new iteration of the poem by Rahman has also faced criticism from the artistic community in West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Protests have arisen against A R Rahman's reinterpretation of the iconic song 'Karar oi louha kopat' by Kazi Nazrul Islam for the film 'Pippa'.

Kazi Nazrul's family members and admirers expressed their disappointment and called it an insult.

Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul