Sarke Chunar row: Nora Fatehi apologises to National Commission for Women; will fund orphan girls' education

Bollywood actor and dancer Nora Fatehi, on Thursday, appeared before the National Commission for Women in connection with the controversial song, Sarke Chunar. The NCW had scheduled the hearing at 11:30 AM after summoning Fatehi for the alleged "obscenity" and "vulgarity" linked to the song from KD: The Devil.

Nora Fatehi appears before NCW

She apologised and said that she intended no offence through the song.

Speaking to ANI, Nora Fatehi said, “It was just a situation that I was put in, and there was no intention to offend anybody, but of course, I have to be responsible as an artist. I definitely apologise, we have done everything in writing. They have been so kind and helpful. It's really important for us to give back to the society.”

Nora Fatehi to fund girls' education

In return, she will be supporting the education of orphan girls.

“I decided that we should sponsor a few orphan girls, their education, so that is the goal after this matter,” added Fatehi.

In March, the Commission summoned Nora Fatehi, Sanjay Dutt, lyricist Raqueeb Alam, producer Venkat K. Narayana, and director Kiran Kumar after taking suo motu cognisance of media reports concerning the song.

In an official statement, the NCW had said the content of the song "appears to be sexually suggestive and objectionable," adding that it could amount to violations under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

"The National Commission for Women, in exercise of its powers under the NCW Act, 1990, has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports alleging obscenity and vulgarity in the song 'Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke'. Observing that the content prima facie appears to be sexually suggestive, objectionable, and violative of provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, IT Act, and POCSO Act, the Commission has taken serious note of the matter," the statement read.

Sarke Chunar controversy

The controversy erupted after criticism over the song's suggestive lyrics and objectionable visuals. Several individuals and organisations have alleged that the song objectifies women.

Complaints seeking registration of an FIR and removal of the song from circulation were also filed, as per ANI.

The issue later reached Parliament. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed in the Lok Sabha that the song had been banned following widespread backlash.

The minister had responded to a question raised by Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadouria.

The song featured Nora Fatehi alongside the lead actor Sanjay Dutt. The Hindi version of the song was later taken down from YouTube.

At that time, Nora Fatehi had clarified, “I would hate for anyone to think I endorse this. Thank you for the backlash because of this pressure, the filmmakers have luckily taken it down.”

She added on Instagram, “I’d also request everyone to stop sharing the song because you're just giving it a platform unnecessarily."

"On a side note, I see some of you guys trying to use this as an opportunity to attack my character. It’s unfortunate,”

“I shot this song three years ago in a language called Kannada. When I said yes to it, it was part of a big film. It was with a big icon, Sanjay Dutt—who would say no to working with him? I thought it was a remake of an iconic song."