Writer Sameer Anjaan blames Madhuri Dixit’s ‘Choli Ke Peeche’ for rise of double-meaning Bollywood songs; reveals David Dhawan made ‘Sarkai Lo Khatiya’ vulgar | Hindi Movie News
In classic Indian films, the story and songs were both important, and some songs became very popular on their own. But these days, many old songs are seen as problematic because people are more aware and sensitive. Lyricist Samir Anjaan said that some of his songs, like “Sarkai Lo Khatiya” from the movie ‘Raja Babu’, have been questioned for their meaning. Another song, “Khambe Jaisi Khadi Hai”, was criticized when director Sandeep Reddy Vanga asked why Aamir Khan did songs that seem to disrespect women.Here’s a closer look at what Samir Anjaan said.Samir Anjaan clears himself, blames ‘Choli Ke Peeche’ and censor boardDuring an interview with BBC Hindi, Samir made it clear that he does not accept blame for writing songs with vulgar or inappropriate content. Instead, he pointed to a very popular song penned by Anand Bakshi as the originator of such trends, and he criticized the censor board for allowing it. He said that all of this talk about vulgar songs started from ‘Choli Ke Peeche’. There was so much chaos, and people were ready to set fires; Anand-Bakshi and Subhash Ghai were being abused. Ultimately, the song got passed by the censor board, people heard it all over the country and loved it. Samir also expressed his confusion over how the censor board approved that song and questioned why those in positions of authority did not respond to the widespread backlash it generated.Defending ‘Sarkai Lo Khatiya’When discussing his own work, Samir brought up the song ‘Sarkai Lo Khatiya’ from the movie Raja Babu, which features Govinda and Karisma Kapoor. Similar to the controversy around ‘Choli Ke Peeche,’ this song also faced criticism for its content. Samir defended himself by explaining that ‘Sarkai lo khatiya’ was born out of the practice of musicians and dancers who used to travel from village to village to perform. He had seen his elders listen to the whole song and he took that song and just remade it for the movie. He didn’t write it himself and he didn’t think there was anything vulgar in it. The way David Dhawan shot it, though, was problematic. David pictured it in a very seductive and vulgar way, so people thought it was a song with a double meaning to it.Samir speaks on criticism and ‘Khambe Jaisi Khadi’ controversyHe mentioned that it seems like people find faults with everything and that he never intentionally wrote any song containing vulgar themes. He emphasized that he has never written a single vulgar song, but still people accuse him of doing so. He questioned whether he should only write religious and feel-good songs. He pointed out that the writers of today are writing things much worse than what was going on before, and songs like ‘Khambe Jaisi Khadi’ are nothing compared to that. The song he referred to comes from the Aamir Khan movie ‘Dil’, sung by Udit Narayan, and much like the other songs discussed, ‘Khambe Jaise Khadi’ has also sparked controversy, with debates about its appropriateness continuing among audiences.Aamir Khan apologizes for objectification in songAfter Vanga’s remarks, Aamir issued an apology regarding the song. He acknowledged that Hindi cinema has often failed in its responsibility, particularly in portraying men and women. He noted that films tend to show negative behavior but then depict its outcome positively, which he considers wrong. He further mentioned the frequent objectification of women in films, especially through songs like “tu cheez badi hai mast mast.” Aamir admitted his own participation in such films. Regarding the lyrics “khambe jaisi khadi hai, ladki hai ya chadi hai,” he pointed out that calling women “khamba” reduces them to objects rather than recognizing their humanity, and he expressed deep shame about this, as he conveyed in an interview with Aaj Tak.
