T Series Removes/delete Atif’s Song from their YouTube channel after facing backlash

T-Series, India’s largest music label, on Thursday apologised for uploading Pakistani singer Atif Aslam’s song ‘Kinna Sona’ on its YouTube channel and immediately removed it after facing severe backlash. 

The song was featured in the movie Marjaavan starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tara Sutaria. 

The label faced harsh retaliation from India’s extremist groups, who criticised the upload only because it was recorded by a Pakistani singer. 

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has banned all Pakistani artists from participating in the country’s film or music industry. The tensions between the two countries have gone from bad to worse in the last four years.

In the past, cultural and artistic exchanges had continued uninterrupted despite political bickering between the two neighbours, however, the situation has changed dramatically since the BJP-led government came into power. 

A twitter hashtag #takedownAtifAslamsong started trending on the social media platform forcing the record label to issue an apology. 

T-Series issued a statement through a local news publication in which it said: “It has been brought to our notice that the said song has been sung by Atif Aslam and this song was put up on the YouTube channel of T-Series by one of our employees from the promotion team.” 

“We condemn our mistake and apologise for the same. We assure you that henceforth we will neither release, nor promote the song on any platform of T-Series. Meanwhile, we are removing the said song from our YouTube channel. We also assure you that henceforth we will not be releasing or promoting work by any Pakistani artistes.”

In the past, other Indian record labels and production houses have faced similar backlash for casting or working with Pakistani artists. 

Karan Johar, who has produced many hits under the Dharma Production banner, had to apologise on national television after some groups in India said they would not allow the release of his movie Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

Indian extremists had called Johar anti-national for casting Fawad Khan, a Pakistani singer and actor, in the movie.