"Rann" Ran into Controversy

The “Rann” controversy, whereby the title song of the movie is a modified version of the national anthem, has the censor board up in arms.

Rann’s JanGanMan track lyrics go like:-
Jann Gann Mann Rann hai
Is rann mein zakhmi hua hai
Bharat ka bhagya vidhata

Punjab Sindh Gujrat Maratha

Ek doosre se ladd kar mar rahein hain
Is desh ne humko ek kiya
Hum desh ke tukdey kar rahein hain
Dravid Utkal Banga

Khoon bahaa ker
Ek rang kar diya humne tiranga
Sarhadon pe jung aur
Galiyon mein fasaad danga
Vindh Himachal Yamuna Ganga
Mein Tezaab ubal raha hain

Mar gaya sabka zameer
Jaane kab zinda ho aage

Phir bhi Tava Shubh Name jaage
Tav shubh aashish maange

Aag mein jal ka cheekh raha hai
Phir bhi koi sach ko nahi bachaata

Gahe tava jaya gaatha

Desh ka aisa haal hai lekin
Aapas mein ladd rahe neta

Jana Gana Mangal Daayak Jaya hai

Bharat ko bacha le vidhaata

Jaya hai ya yah marann hai
Jana Gana Mana Rann hai…

Ram Gopal Verma said at the unveiling of the first look of Rann, “I have not tinkered with the national anthem. Tinkering would be if I would have shown it in bad light. I haven’t done anything of this sort, and if faced with problems later, I shall see to it”
Since the national anthem is an integral part of the Indian Constitution, verma being well aware of that, might use it as a ploy for some cheap publicity


Before the censor board came out with its views on the national anthem controversy,
Amitabh Bacchan, who plays a lead role in Rann, was quoted saying that he had full faith in the producers of Rann, that they would have taken the requisite legal permission to change the national anthem.

Riteish Deshmukh, who plays an investigative journalist said that the Rann title track talks about the disputes in the country, and had no intensions to ridicule anything.

Rann revolves around the nexus between the Indian media and centres of power and how it is driven purely by business rather than any moral compulsion to report the truth. It features the working behind a news channel whereby a reporter is torn between ethics, morals and self-consciousness on one side and the financial, business driven, TRP enriched ‘survival’ of the channel on the other end.

Rann stars Amitabh Bacchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Manisha Koirala, Gul Panag, Rajat Kapoor, Neetu Chandra, Mohnish Behl, Suchitra Krishnamurty and Purab Kohli.