Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said that the controversial Bollywood song Sarke Chunar had been banned, and he also said that freedom of speech must operate within “reasonable restrictions” that respect society and culture.
While speaking in the Lok Sabha, he said, “A ban has been imposed on the song. We must operate according to the reasonable restrictions on freedom of speech. Freedom of speechk cannot be absolute; it has to be in the context of the society and culture.”
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Moreover, he also said: And in that, very carefully, in the coming time, the way things are spreading rapidly today through digital means, in that, for the protection of the society, especially for the protection of children, for the protection of women, for the protection of the deprived groups of the society, whatever hard actions should be taken, the government is ready to take them.”
The issue was raised in the lower house by Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauriya, who sought clarification from the government regarding the controversial song.
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What sparked the controversy?
15th March, 2026, the makers of the latest Kannada pan-India film KD: The Devil launched its song Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke starring Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt. Some views applauded Nora’s energetic performance, while a vast number of social media users criticised the track, saying its lyrics are “vulgar.” However, the film is set to release on April 30 and will be dubbed in various languages.
The NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) also issued a notice over the alleged use of double-meaning lyrics in the song. Moreover, social activist and advocate Vineet Jindal filed a complaint with the cyber cell of the Delhi Police, demanding that legal action be taken against song makers.
He said that the lyrics of the song are not suitable for public consumption, mainly given the fact that the song is available on various digital platforms.
All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has also asked to ban Nora Fatehi’s song. The association wrote a letter to the chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification, Prasoon Joshi.
In the letter, they asked for an FIR against the makers of the song, saying that “freedom of expression cannot be misused to promote vulgarity and degrade Indian cultural values.”
As per Hindustan Times, the song was originally written in Kannada by the film’s director, Prem. The person who is credited with the Hindi version is lyricist Raqeeb Alam. He said that he had only translated the original lyrics.
He said, “I have not written these lyrics. They were written by the film’s director, Prem, in Kannada. When I was asked to write all this, I refused, saying such songs won’t work and will be censored too.”
Reaction of Bollywood, politicians, and singers
- BJP MP Ravi Kishan said vulgar content harms cultural values and should not be promoted.
- Kangana Ranaut, an actor-politician, accused Bollywood of crossing all limits with vulgarity and asked for stricter regulation of such content.
- Singer Arman Malik also criticised the lyrics on social media, saying commercial songwriting had hit a ” new low”.
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Nora’s Statement on the Song
As per IANS India, On the controversy over ‘Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke’ song, Actress Nora Fatehi says, “…I knew we were going to have issues because at least I understand Hindi. I told the director, this is not going to be okay. This is going to get a lot of backlash. I disassociated myself with the project. As you can see, I didn’t promote it at all. I again flagged it to the director. I said, my image and reputation is on the line. Here’s the thing, as artists, especially artists like me who, one, we don’t really have this backing. We’re not nepo kids…”