Singer Diljit Dosanjh’s song Kufar, featuring Manushi Chillar, stirred up quite a storm on social media over certain controversial dance moves, with many users accusing the makers of objectifying women. Now, the song’s choreographers have stepped in to defend their work, saying the moves were designed to be sexy.
Kufar choreographers defend the song
Kufar’s choreographers, Shazia Samji and Piyush Bhagat, spoke about the song and reacted to the controversy in a podcast with Hindi Rush on YouTube.
One particular moment that sparked backlash shows Diljit standing behind a woman who lifts her leg during the line “jannat ke darwaaze kudiye” lyrics in the song.
Reacting to the ‘jannat ke darwaaze’ line, Shazia mentioned that Diljit has sung it very nicely, “so that part was going to connect with the audience”.
Talking about the uproar after the song, Piyush said, “Some people perceived it a certain way, and it’s their perspective; it’s a very sexy song, very international. Diljit is an international artist, and he is at number one. Not just the people in Punjab, but people all over the globe are watching him. He is catering to different cultures. If you see the song’s teaser, it’s written there, ‘Are you ready for a sexy dance?’ I don’t see anything negative in it; it was fun.”
To this, Shazia added, “We just got one brief for the song, that it’s a sexy song. Some people pick these things, but eventually they are talking about the song only, both negatives and positives are always said.”
They stressed that their brief was to make the song ‘sexy, adding that everyone on the set, including the actors, were aware of the choreography and aligned with it. Piyush and Shazia also came forward to defend Diljit and Manushi against the trolling. Piyush said if Diljit starts taking things seriously, he will have to start doubting every line then. Shazia shared that Manushi was the main lead in the song and she was also trolled so much. Shazia mentioned that Manushi wasn’t even the girl who did that step.
Some time back, Manushi also found herself at the centre of social media chatter for appearing alongside Diljit Dosanjh in the music video of Kufar. A section of social media users took a dig at the former Miss World, questioning why her presence has been “reduced to small dance appearances.”
Reacting to the same, Manushi said, “I’ve always admired people who value education. But I’ve also learnt that wisdom lies in respecting every form of art and expression. The world needs both thinkers and creators; neither is ‘reduced’ when they uplift others.”
“Every step, story, and song has its own purpose, none lesser than the other,” she added.
More about Kufar
In October, Diljit released the song Kufar which features Manushi alongside him. The song is part of his album AURA. Talking about the album, Diljit said, “The album’s vibe is sexy, I am sexy. It’s sexy songs for sexy dance… The word AURA actually came from my fans. At my shows, they often talk about my aura and how it feels. They say the vibe is amazing — some are dancing and singing along, while others get emotional. So really, it was my audience who gave me this idea.”
Earlier, Diljit also reacted to the controversy in a live video, saying, “Bruh, mai ta othe khada si aase paase pata ni ki challi janda si (Bro, I was just standing there, I didn’t even know what was going on around me).” The song has garnered over 2.9 crore views on YouTube so far.
