Bengaluru: Kannada filmmaker K Ramnarayan declared on Thursday that singer Sonu Nigam’s apology alone is not enough — there must be consequences for his controversial remarks. The director has removed two of Nigam’s tracks from his upcoming movie Kuladalli Keelyavudo, replacing them with demo versions.
“An apology doesn’t justify such a grave lapse. Linking Kannada pride to the Pahalgam tragedy was deeply insensitive,” Ramnarayan told PTI.
The movie, slated to hit theatres on May 23, had earlier released three promotional tracks — two of them sung by Nigam. One was the iconic title song, a homage to the legendary Rajkumar’s 1965 classic Satya Harishchandra. Ramnarayan argued that someone who disrespects Kannada culture should not be the voice of such a revered track.
The other track, ‘Manasu Haadtade’, was also voiced by Nigam. Both will now feature vocals by Chethan Sosca, the original demo or “track singer” used during composition. The director shared that they were already fond of Chethan’s versions and are now fine-tuning them for official release.
Though Nigam’s rendition of Kuladalli Keelyavudo has been removed from YouTube, ‘Manasu Haadtade’ remains on his channel.
Ramnarayan, who has worked with Nigam for years and even wrote the award-winning ‘Ninna Nodalentho’ for Mussanje Maatu, said he once celebrated Nigam’s success — but now believes a ban is justified.
The row began at a Bengaluru concert on April 25 when Nigam snapped at an audience member demanding he sing in Kannada, allegedly referencing Pahalgam in his outburst. He later issued a public apology on Instagram.
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