Actor Nora Fatehi has once again addressed the controversy around Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke from KD: The Devil, saying the backlash and the reaction online did not take her by surprise. She said she had developed a thick skin and was familiar with what she described as the “script of every influencer” repeating the same line over the row over the song’s lyrics and visuals.
Speaking on the Dream with Dr Sheen podcast, Nora said, “I already know who hired you, when, and how much they paid you. That was an opportunity well squeezed by whoever was behind that. Because of the whole feminism thing, I was already prepared for how my body would react to that. I wasn’t panicking, I was not in fear. I was shooting for three days – I didn’t know, and then all hell broke loose.”
She added that she later put out a video because “there are all these narratives making the rounds which are wrong” and said she did so as her silence could be misunderstood.
Recalling the fallout, Nora said she explained herself and said she did not know where the Hindi version had come from.
“I told the truth. I said I don’t know where it came from, I didn’t shoot for this song. I gave all the details. I am the most articulate person out there. But there were still people in the comments who said, ‘She’s lying. How could she have not known, for a song that was not released?’ By the way, the full song was not released. It was just snippets – some clips and AI photos,” she said.
She added, “Songs like these get produced every day. It is what it is. I am not saying that this is good.”
In a detailed video message shared earlier, from the Hindi version of the track.
She said she had originally shot the song in Kannada around three years ago and did not know how it would later be adapted. “I shot this song three years ago in Kannada. When I shot this song, I said yes to it because it was part of a big film and also alongside Sanjay Dutt, who would say no to it. It was a remake of what I thought was Nayak Nahi Khalnayak Hoon Main,” she said.
She highlighted that nothing seemed inappropriate to her when the song was first explained to her, but said she does not understand Kannada and had relied on what was being told to her at the time. “Whatever they have done right now, dubbing it in Hindi and the lyrics, they did not take any permission or approval from me. I had no idea about it,” she said.
Nora also emphasised that she noticed problems at the launch event itself. “When I attended the launch, I saw the Kannada version, and I had a major issue because they used unflattering photos in the lyrical video. They also used an AI photo of Sanjay and me. I was very irritated at the event when I saw all that. However, I kept my calm,” the 34-year-old added.
Nora said she had already raised her concerns with the makers. “I was conflicted with what I saw. When I saw the Hindi version, I knew it would get backlash. I told the director that this was not okay, and I dissociated myself from the project. I did not promote it anywhere. I told the director my image and reputation are on the line,” she said.
Speaking about the limits of artists’ control, she added, “The thing with us artists is that we do not have power, we have little power and control. Thankfully, in Bollywood, many have respected my work. However, there are certain industries that do not care about my opinion. But because of the backlash, they had to take it down, and I am thankful.”
The actor also called for accountability from filmmakers and producers, saying they should be held responsible when such content is made.
In the caption accompanying her video, Nora wrote that she would hate for anyone to think she endorsed the song and said the backlash had led to the filmmakers taking it down. She also asked people to stop sharing it, saying it was only giving the song an unnecessary platform.
The actor further wrote that some people were using the controversy as an opportunity to attack her character, and reiterated that she had no idea about the Hindi song, did not perform to it, and had not given permission for it to be used with her image.
The controversy also led to a complaint alleging that the song, which had been released on YouTube and circulated widely on social media, contained ,
The complaint said the picturisation and dance sequences were provocative and promoted vulgarity, disturbing public decency. It also argued that some lyrics were explicitly objectionable and unsuitable for public consumption, especially because of their easy accessibility to minors, and named lyricist Raqeeb Alam, director Prem, composer Arjun Janya, and singer Mangli as key contributors associated with the track.
According to the complaint, the publication and circulation of the song could attract provisions under ,the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and the Information Technology Act, 2000. It also stated that a separate criminal complaint had already been filed with the Delhi Police Cyber Cell in relation to the song. Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke is sung by Mangli, written by Raqeeb Alam, and composed by Arjun Janya.
The song appears in KD: The Devil, a Kannada-language action-thriller directed by Prem and featuring actors Dhruva Sarja, Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty, and Reeshma Nanaiah in key roles.