Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi, who recently expressed how honoured she felt to make her Kannada debut and even appreciated director Prem for his vision, has now broken her silence on the controversy surrounding the song 'Sarse Ninna Sarse' from the film KD. With music scored by Arjun Janya, the song was dubbed and released in four other languages.
The track, which sparked nationwide outrage for its allegedly obscene lyrics, also had a Hindi version titled 'Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke'. The Hindi rendition was quickly taken down following public backlash. Sharing a detailed video on social media, Nora Fatehi explained that she had no idea the song would become controversial.
“I want to clarify a few things,” she said. “I shot this song three years ago in Kannada. I agreed to do it because it was part of a big film featuring a legendary actor like Sanjay Dutt. I do not understand Kannada. On set, I relied entirely on the team to explain the meaning of the lyrics. When they translated it for me, nothing seemed inappropriate or vulgar.”
Nora Fatehi added that she initially thought the song is a remake of 'Khal Nayak Hoon Main' from the 1993 Sunjay Dutt starrer Khal Nayak and trusted the filmmakers’ guidance. “When I am on set, I rely on the director to translate the song, and that is what I followed. But now with the Hindi version, including the dubbing, the voice, and the new lyrics, I had no idea. They did not take any approvals from me.”
She also expressed her frustration at the way the Hindi version was launched, including an AI-generated image that she did not approve. “I am against AI use in such contexts, and it irritated me. But I was in the presence of media and filmmakers who had given me this opportunity. Internally, I was very conflicted.”
Understanding Hindi, she foresaw the controversy and raised her concerns. “I told the director that this would cause backlash. I disassociated myself from the project and did not promote it. I flagged to the team that my image and reputation were at stake.”
Nora Fatehi emphasised that artists often have limited control. “Honestly, it is just us and the audience behind us. Thankfully, in Bollywood, there is respect for artists who speak up. But there are places where opinions do not matter.”
She concluded by highlighting accountability. “Because of the public backlash, the Hindi version was removed, and I am grateful. If people are concerned, hold the filmmakers and the team behind the song responsible. Bombarding the artist’s name or image does not solve anything. Real change comes when the creators are held accountable. I will be more careful in the future, but I thank everyone whose voice led to this action.”
KD: The Devil is produced by KVN Productions, as a Pan India film, made in Kannada, and dubbed and released in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam. The film is set to release on April 30 and features a star-studded cast, including Dhruva Sarja in the lead, alongside notable actors Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty, V Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind, and Reeshma Nanaiah,