Lyricist Raj Shekhar Reflects On The ‘Beyonce Sharma Jayegi’ Controversy

I have been working as a lyricist in Hindi films for almost a decade. It's been a bitter-sweet journey. But the last three weeks have been particularly difficult. Recently, a song from the film Khaali-Peeli called "Beyonce Sharma Jayegi" (now changed to "Duniya Sharma Jayegi") came out. There were two names in the lyrics section, and one of them is mine, along with Kumaar. The irony is that we recently did a campaign called "#CreditDedoYaar" and this is the first time we got credit without asking for it.

Within a couple of hours of the release of the song, my phone was ringing constantly. By evening, my inbox and social media were flooded with messages. I was getting new notifications every minute, being called out for the racist overtones in the lines 'Tujhe dekh ke goriya, Beyonce sharma jayegi'. Some were really abusive—some of them directed at Ananya Pandey in a manner that was derogatory, and contradictory to the objections raised about the song. Some of my friends went to the extent of saying that, going by my past work, they can't imagine that I can write something like this.

What bothered me the most was why did it not occur to me that the word could be a problem? I should have seen the red flags. I am generally aware of these things.

Since there are two lyricists in the song, people have been asking us, "Who has written it? That word "Goriya" Whose line is it? I can't comment on that, and more importantly, that's not the point. Maqbool Khan, the director of the film, has already given a statement, where he said, "We assure you that the lyric in question was never intended racially. In fact, the term 'goriya' has been so often and traditionally used in Indian songs to address a girl, that it didn't occur to any of us to interpret it in the literal manner". (The words 'goriya' and 'Beyonce' have been removed in the new version).

What bothered me the most was why did it not occur to me that the word could be a problem? I should have seen the red flags. I am generally aware of these things. I have been speaking against discrimination and patriarchy all my life. Phir ye kaise hua? I was a student of literature. Did it come from there? At first I was angry: Why are they not understanding that it has not been used with the intention to make a racist comment? I thought people are taking the word out of context and blowing it out of proportion.

I looked up the word in different dictionaries, where 'gori' has two meanings: beautiful girl and fair girl. I tried to justify it in my head that it's a case of one word having several meanings. Cultural and geographical factors play a role in it. Like the word 'paani' can have different usages apart from just water: 'Uske aankh ka paani mar gaya' (we use it like 'Uski sharam mar gayi'), or 'Uske chehre pe kitna paani hai' (as in the face is glowing). 'Aankhon Mein Paani aa gaya' means 'in tears'.

Sahir, Shailendra and Majrooh were very progressive in their times. How did this happen? I went further back to the old masters, the great mystic poets whose songs and poetry have inspired me, like Khusrau… 

I started looking for 'gori' or 'goriya' in older film songs. Even legends such as Sahir Ludhianvi, Shailendra and Majrooh Sultanpuri have used it generously. In "Ik Din Bik Jayega" from Dharam-Karam, Majrooh Sahab writes the line 'Parde Ke Peeche Baithi Saanwal Gori'. Here 'gori' is not an adjective, 'saawal' (Dusky) is the adjective and 'gori' is a noun. 'Gori' is simply used as a 'Girl'.

Sahir, Shailendra and Majrooh were very progressive in their times. How did this happen? I went further back to the old masters, the great mystic poets whose songs and poetry have inspired me. In what was perhaps the saddest moment of his life, when he is facing Nizamuddin Auliya's lifeless body, Amir Khusrau uttered these words:

"Gori sowe sej par, mukh par dare kes

Chal Khusrau ghar aapne, rain bhai chahun des"

(My beloved lies on the couch, black tresses scattered over the face 

O Khusrau, go home now, for night has befallen over the world) 

I decided to call up some people who have a good understanding of the language. I spoke to some of my female friends. One of them was in school when the Lucky Ali song "Gori Teri Aankhein Kahe" had released. She told me that even though most of her friends liked the song, she could never like it. She said that maybe Lucky Ali, or whoever wrote it, wouldn't have intended it like that but the song would make her feel that it's not for her—she felt excluded. It made me realise  one thing: that no matter how aware we think we are, when certain things don't directly affect us, we are unable to be as compassionate as we should be. As the great Hindi poet Dhumil said, 'Lohe Ka Swaad Lohar Se Mat Poochho, Uss Ghorey Se Poochho Jiske Muh Mein Lagaam Hai'.

This whole episode has been a learning experience for me… I have to examine that male gaze. So many of Kabir's songs can be questioned today—and Kabir is my favourite poet

This whole episode has been a learning experience for me. That maybe gender is something I have a lot to learn about. I have to examine that male gaze. 

So many of Kabir's songs can be questioned today—and Kabir is my favourite poet, whenever I am troubled, I go to Kabir, just like I go to Khusrau, or Nirala. One of his lines goes, 

'Kabir man mirtak bhaya, indri apne haath, 

To bhi kabahun na kijiye, kanak kamini saath'

(Kabir says even if the mind is dead and senses are in the control of hands

Even then you should never keep the company of both wealth and women)

Similarly, some of our folk songs can be extremely feudal and regressive in terms of gender and caste. So are some of our proverbs, phrases and idioms. I have seen some of my friends from big cities sometimes using words like 'bhangi' and 'chamaar' as abuses. I always make sure that I point it out to them—I may be more aware of caste than some of my friends because of my upbringing in a village. They don't intend to be casteist, but they lack the awareness.

Maybe 'gori' did have a different meaning in "Beyonce Sharma Jayegi", but irrespective of that, even if one person was hurt, we would like to apologise. We are sorry, this was a lapse of judgement on our part. And it's high time that we stop justifying these things in the name of tradition, culture, literature.

At the same time, one must remember that a lyricist is writing for a film character, he is not writing for himself. The character could be a guy from a chawl. He dreams of doing wheelies in Bandra after he has earned his first salary. He may have a limited worldview. He could be unsophisticated and politically incorrect. When I am giving voice to him in a song, should I try to be true to the character, and capture the essence of his zubaan, or should I worry that it might offend people? This is a perpetual conflict in your mind as a Hindi film lyricist.

I have two options. One is the freedom to write whatever I want and maybe disappoint people. And two, I write to please them. I'll choose the first. We have to understand that art is not made in a factory, where only one kind of biscuit or or one kind of television is produced. I see it more like a laboratory. When you go in, you don't know if the outcome will be acidic, or alkaline. 

As a creator, writer, lyricist, I am ready to take that risk. I only have a few minutes to capture the spirit of the character, and I can't judge them while giving them a voice. At some level, I have to keep my ideology aside. Javed Akhtar is an atheist, but when the helpless people of Champaner went to the temple in Lagaan, he wrote the bhajan 'O Paalanhaare'.

For Tumbbad's Vinayak, for instance, I wrote,

'Jo bhi din gaya wo to kala tha,

Aane wale mein bhi kya Ujaala tha',

and the next line, 

'Ujali thi toh meri vaasana,

Usi se dhuli meri aatma'

Here the character is justifying his dark past. 'The old days weren't great, but my lust has kept me alive…' Before writing it I never thought I could justify 'lust' or 'greed'. While Vinayak was digging Hastar's treasure, I was in a parallel world of self-exploration. I don't want to kill that because of any fear.

I just wish we were a bit kinder. People on social media wrote off my earlier works. People said Raj Shekhar has sold his soul. I got emails that said 'You don't understand racism because you were born in an uneducated family in a village'. The kangaroo court of social media can be really scary. If some of Kabir's lines are 'problematic' in today's times, should we cancel his revolutionary poetic works? Should we forget all his contributions? I think a little compassion, love, and patience could go a long way in the making of a better society. I'm thankful to the people who have started this conversation around the song. I am happy that these questions are being raised. Even if a few people become more sensitised, and start looking at things with more compassion and empathy, I would say the hate mails have been worth it. 

As told to Sankhayan Ghosh