The redoubtable N Chandra may be lying low these days. But during the 1970s and 80s his cinema like Ankush, Pratighaat, Tezaab and Narasimha roared like a lion at the box office.
Last week N. Chandra woke up to the sobering news of Jacqueline Fernandez re-doing the iconic Ek do teen dance number from Chandra’s Tezaab.
And it was the original choreographer Saroj Khan who gave Chandra the startling news.
“I met Sarojji at Sridevi’s prayer meeting. It was there that Sarojji marched up to me to tell me about it. Can you imagine how much it had upset her that she needed to vent at such a solemn occasion? Anyway she came to me and said, ‘Have you seen what they’re doing to our Ek do teen number?’ I had no clue. Sarojji told me that the makers of Baaghi 2 were doing a new version of Ek do teen. She said she will take legal action against it.” – N Chandra
Now that Ek do teen as performed by Jaqueline Fernandez is out, N Chandra is in a state of shock.
“I can’t believe they’ve done this to Ek do teen. It’s crass beyond imagination. And Jacqueline Fernandez doing Madhuri Dixit’s number? Give me a break! It’s like turning the Central Park into a botanical garden. Madhuri danced with such grace and innocence. This number is like a sex act.”
Chandra feels there should be strict laws against such creative vandalism. “Anyone can do anything to your creation just because there are no laws to protect our property. I remember some years ago R D Burman’s Dum maro dum had been similarly vandalized.”
Chandra is referring to Rohan Sippy’s Dum Maro Dum in which Deepika Padukone had done an item number singing the legendary Asha Bhosle number Dum maro dum from the film Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
“Saroji and I are definitely taking action. Amitji has rightly spoken about archaic copyright laws which allow such liberties to be taken. Can you imagine, Mr Bachchan would have no rights over his father’s writings! What kind of laws allow people to do such things? We must be allowed to exercise some control over what we create.” Says the filmmaker
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