Rahman's 'Hosanna' in legal trouble

The Christian Secular Forum says it's a sacred term and threatens public agitation unless removed from the song

They say too much popularity is never a good thing and this time A R Rahman is at the receiving end. His song Hosanna from Ek Deewana Tha not just became a hit down South (in 2010), but has been climbing Bollywood chartbusters ever since its release.


A still from Ek Deewana Tha

However, the song isn't exactly music to the ears for a group of people from the Christian Secular Forum (CSF) in Mumbai. The forum has raised a strong objection to the use of the word Hosanna, which is apparently a sacred term used only within prayer songs among the Christians and the Jews.

Says Joseph Dias, General Secretary, CSF, "Hosanna is a prayer in the Bible and used by both Jews and Christians, referring to God or Jesus Christ, with strong reverential and religious connotations.
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So to make a song and dance out of it where a guy is professing his love to the girl by using this term is utterly unacceptable." The forum says that using the term in such derogatory fashion has hurt the sentiments of Christians and Jews and therefore is demanding a public apology, apart from eliminating the word from the song.

Strangely though the original Tamil song became equally popular, it did not face any such objection. Adds Joseph, "I think it may not have been noticed by people then.

Now that we have heard the song, we must stop it. If you would not use Islamic, Hindu or prayers from any other religion in pop secular music, then why do you use Hosanna in a carnal love song from a film. It trivialises the word."

The forum has now expressed their concern via e-mail to everyone from composer AR Rahman to lyricist Javed Akhtar and to those concerned at Fox Star Studio and Sony Music.
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The CSF plans to move to court against Fox Star Studios and Sony Music as well as file a police complaint against those concerned. The producers of Ek Deewana Tha were unavailable for comment.

What the term means
"Hosanna" is a Hebrew word meaning please save or save now.