Sandip Ssingh: Used Javed saab's old number in PM Narendra Modi film

Oberoi as Modi in film

Sandip Ssingh, producer of the upcoming film PM Narendra Modi, which is embroiled in a controversy after lyricist Javed Akhtar expressed shock over the inclusion of his name on the film's poster, clarified yesterday that he was given the approval from T-series's Bhushan Kumar.

Ssingh stated that the veteran's name was used on the poster since the makers have used one of his old songs in the Vivek Oberoi-starrer. "I wanted to keep one of his [Akhtar] songs, Ishwar Allah, from 1947: Earth, in the film. I spoke to Bhushan Kumar ji, and he agreed," Ssingh said, further suggesting that it is the music label that must inform an artiste of such a development. "Our work is to make a film. We have done that."

Javed Akhtar

Responding to questions on whether his name was used to promote the film, Ssingh said, "Everyone knows that Narendra Modi is such a big personality that the film needs no promotions. Whatever Javed saab had to say, he has done so on Twitter. I don't think Javed saab will say something so shallow [to suggest] that we are using his name to promote the film."

His response comes amidst veteran actor and Akhtar's wife Shabana Azmi's tweet suggesting that Aktar's name was used on the poster to mislead people. "It is quite clear that this was done with deliberate intentions to mislead the public into believing that Javed Akhtar has written the songs for PM Narendra Modi, when the song Ishwar allah tere jahan mein is from Deepa Mehta's film, 1947 Earth," she tweeted.

Sandip Ssingh

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