Ishaan Khatter Reacts to ‘Beyonce Sharma Jayegi’ Controversy: It Has Been Taken Out of Context

Ishaan Khatter, whose upcoming movie Khaali Peeli faced a major controversy for its song Beyonce Sharma Jayegi, said that the meaning was taken out of context. Netizens called out the song for its alleged racist undertones, as it compared a ‘goriya’ (a fair-skinned woman) to Beyonce, who is African American. The name has been now changed to Duniya Sharma Jayegi.

Talking about it to Film Companion, Ishaan said, “The word ‘gori’ has been taken out of context, as I understand it. I have asked a lot of questions to people from rural areas, who’ve clarified that ‘gori’ has been used in multiple songs, for ages, as just referencing a girl. Like you’d say ‘launda’ or ‘chhora’, you also say ‘gori’, and that is the context in which it was used.”

He further added. “It was never meant to be about the complexion, let alone race. As for Beyonce, for this ‘tapori’ character, his biggest reference for somebody beautiful, and stylish and iconic is Beyonce. If anything, it’s flattering.”

He said that the boy goes far to compare the girl with Beyonce as he is trying to flatter her.

The song Beyonce/Beyonse/Duniya Sharma Jayegi has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar, sung by Nakash Aziz and Neeti Mohan, featuring lyrics by Kumaar and Raj Shekhar. Khaali Peeli has been directed by Maqbool Khan and produced by Ali Abbas Zafar and Himanshu Mehra. While the story is by Maqbool, the film is written by Yash Kesarwani and Seema Aggarwal.