Tanmay Bhat losing work, Hindu-Muslim face-off song cut, Ramification of the Sachin-Lata video

Since morning, the industry has been buzzing with news of Tanmay Bhat’s song being dropped from the upcoming film Shorgul. The AIB stand-up comedian continues to be the talking point even this weekend, much like last weekend when his infamous Snapchat video on Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar shook the nation.



One of the many ramifications of the video is that Bhat’s song, Pehle Aap that was sung by Daler Mehndi has been edited out of the Jimmy Sheirgill starrer. It was said that producer Swatantra Vijay Singh did not want to take chances.

But there’s a lot more to the story.

SpotboyE got around to sleuthing and many skeletons tumbled out of the closet, adding a new dimension to the story.

Arjun Nair, who is the music director of the film and composed the song in question, told SpotboyE, “The song will be retained in the music album, but has been dropped from the video. Tanmay did not ghostwrite the song as the buzz goes. He actually chipped in with lots of ideas for the song’s video which was supposed to be a part of the film- but not anymore.”

Aha! So, considering only the video has been excluded and the track remains untouched (you can hear the song on the music CDs), it is obvious that the move is an after-effect of Tanmay’s controversy.

Arjun added, “The video, which has now been edited, actually has a deep message.”

Now let us tell you the ‘deep message’ of the video.

While Nair says that the message was "Let's celebrate, not separate,", a source close to the film told SpotboyE that the video was extremely controversial in its execution.

Revealed the source, “The song was going to have a Hindu-Muslim faceoff. There were two characters – one dressed in saffron and the other in green. The video would not only highlight the Hindu-Muslim divide but also touch upon sensitive issues. “The characters would be rapping against each other about things like intolerance."

SpotboyE has also learnt that certain organisations and individuals even contacted the film’s team and warned them that Tanmay’s work should no longer be a part of the movie.



When probed further, Nair hurriedly added, “Look, I agree that the topic is a sensitive one. In the wake of recent events, putting out the video may have hurt the sentiments of people. Anyway, we have a PIL which has been filed against the movie.” The PIL, which seeks a stay on the film's release, was filed by a Meerut social worker Milan Som, a local leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). According to petitioner’s counsel Digvijay Nath Dubey, certain scenes in the film can disturb social harmony. The petition also alleges that Shorgul features characters inspired by BJP legislator Sangeet Som, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and cabinet minister Azam Khan.

But we were in no mood to end the conversation. Would Tanmay have got credits, we asked? Arjun did not deny, but simply said, "Look, he is a very close friend of mine. So, I wouldn't be able to confirm at this point if he worked on the video in professional capacity."

Now Arjun considers Tanmay as one of his very close friends which he told us during our call to him, and it was only natural that we also ask him for his viewpoint on the Snapchat video.

“I understand that people’s sentiments were hurt because Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar are legends. But I’m sure Tanmay will take appropriate action the next time he makes some content,” he asserted.

Should Tanmay apologise? Pat came the reply: “It won't be right for me to decide that. Tanmay tried to make people laugh, they didn’t find it funny. I don’t think it’s a criminal offence. If he wants to apologise, he can.”

With the controversy being red hot even after almost a week, let’s see if Tanmay indeed finally renders an apology.

But hey Tanmay, have you realised how much your controversy would have escalated if your song had been retained in Shorgul? Frankly, I think that you wouldn't have minded an increased uproar. Else, wouldn't you have apologised to Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar by now?