Thaindian News

By Dibyojyoti Baksi

Mumbai, July 14 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who got sucked into a controversy for not paying a musical group in a Madhya Pradesh village for using its folk song in his forthcoming production venture “Peepli Live”, regrets that the payment got delayed.

“I won’t blame the production for it. I take it as my fault. We were far away in Mumbai. The person who was our line producer knew every one. He was our front man and he is now associated with some other film shoot and presently is in Canada,” said Aamir

“I sent my production manager to the village to invite them to Mumbai, ask them if they have any complaint and take permission for using the song in the film. I should have done it long before. But as I was subjected to so many things, it slipped my mind. But before the media could reach, we had solved the problem,” said Aamir.

It’s also been reported that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had asked Aamir to give them the song for their campaign against the skyrocketing prices, but Aamir’s office had sternly refused them.

“I didn’t get any personal request from anybody, but I think my office got this request and they turned it down saying we are not in business of selling songs. The song is not ours. It’s of the ‘mandli’ and so we had to take proper permission to use the song in the film,” said Aamir.

Directed by debutant Anusha Rizvi and slated to hit the screens Aug 13, “Peepli Live” is a satire on society. It revolves around two impoverished farmers - Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) and Budhia (Raghubir Yadav) - who live in a village called Peepli. They are about to lose their land due to their debts.

An incompetent politician suggests they commit suicide to get government help. The news spreads and the media turns Natha into a celebrity.

“The film is not about the farmers. It’s a film on rural and urban divide. People like us who live in the cities like Mumbai and Delhi, should get to know little about the realities of India. The film is based on that,” said Anusha.

Aamir also said that the film portrays many important issues.

“Yes, I do. I think many things that the film is showing are very crucial and it’s similar to my thinking and sensibility so I liked the film. There were many new things that I got to know through this film. I realised many things, which I never thought of. So this film has been a sensitizing experience for me.”

This is the fourth film from Aamir Khan Productions Ltd after “Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India” (2001), “Taare Zameen Par”(2007) and “Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na”(2008).