Fate of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s Bollywood song still undecided

MUMBAI: Director Chakri Toleti, who has helmed the upcoming film Welcome To New York, says the makers are yet to decide whether to accept the suggestion/demand of singer-turned-minister Babul Supriyo to remove Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice from the film’s song Ishtehaar or keep it.

“No decision has been taken on the Rahat Fateh Ali Khan song. I don’t understand why we are being targeted like this. Our film ‘Welcome To New York’ releases this Friday and this is just too much stress. We have made an entertaining film and we don’t want to hurt anyone,” Toleti said in a statement.

Supriyo had earlier said he was not able to comprehend the need or desire to cross the border for entertainment content at a time when tensions on the India-Pakistan border had escalated.

Supriyo had commented, “I would request the makers of the film to remove Rahat’s voice and get someone else to dub it. I am also not sure why Atif Aslam got to sing Dil Diya Gallan when for sure our very own Arijit could have done a much better job. The FM stations played the song galore while news channels announced the name of our soldiers martyred by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists,” he said.

Supriyo said India has no problems with either Atif or Rahat. “Atif as an artist sounded great in Dil Diya Gallan and Rahat is a great singer too. But it’s important to clarify that our problem is not with the artists Atif or Rahat, but with their Pakistani nationality. It’s not a political stand but probably the families who have lost their sons, brothers, fathers would feel a lot better should the entire country show solidarity in any manner possible.”

Welcome To New York is a rib-tickling comedy that tells the story of two unlikely youngsters living in India in search of a better life for themselves. An unexpected trip to New York sets them off on a comedic adventure that changes their lives forever.

The movie boasts an ensemble cast of Karan Johar, Diljit Dosanjh, Sonakshi Sinha, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani, Lara Dutta, Sushant Singh Rajput and Rana Daggubati. Superstar Salman Khan also has a cameo role in the film.