Beyonce Reference Cut from Bollywood Song after Racist Lyrics Storm

In this Aug. 28, 2016 file photo, Beyonce arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden, in New York. (AP)
In this Aug. 28, 2016 file photo, Beyonce arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden, in New York. (AP)
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Beyonce Reference Cut from Bollywood Song after Racist Lyrics Storm

In this Aug. 28, 2016 file photo, Beyonce arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden, in New York. (AP)
In this Aug. 28, 2016 file photo, Beyonce arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden, in New York. (AP)

A song from an upcoming Bollywood film has been rewritten after social media users criticized the original lyrics as racist for glorifying fair skin and making an inappropriate reference to Black American pop star Beyonce.

The offending lyrics, which translated as ‘After looking at you fair woman, Beyonce would feel shy’, featured in a song from a film called Khaali Peeli, whose director Maqbool Khan swiftly apologized.

“(The) lyric in question was never intended racially,” Khan said in a statement on Monday, adding that the film’s makers were huge fans of Beyonce and had not meant any disrespect.

“The term ‘goriya’ (fair woman in Hindi) 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 a literal manner,” he added.

A new version of the song, which drops the controversial line, is now available on music streaming applications, a spokeswoman for the film said.

India’s film industry is often accused of feeding the country’s obsession with fair skin and bias against darker faces, and the issue drew increased scrutiny during the Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year when Bollywood actors spoke up against racism.

Campaigners welcomed the criticism on Twitter over the song’s lyrics. They said it was a rare challenge to Bollywood song lyrics and dialogues equating fairness with beauty that showed greater awareness about discrimination.

“The fact that Bollywood has been endorsing this trend is not new but I’m happy people have reacted. A decade ago, they wouldn’t have,” said Kavitha Emmanuel, founder of India’s Dark Is Beautiful advocacy campaign.

“It’s very sad that after so much of awareness we have a song like this today,” she added, contrasting it with Beyonce’s new visual album Black is King, released in July.

The album celebrates Black culture and features music videos celebrating the search for identity and Black beauty.



New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office

New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office
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New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office

New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office

A new "Superman" movie from Warner Bros hauled in $122 million at box offices in the United States and Canada over the weekend, a strong debut that kicked off a new era for DC comic book heroes on the big screen.

The movie that introduces David Corenswet as the Man of Steel added $95 million in international markets for a global total of $217 million through Sunday, Warner Bros said on Sunday.

"Superman" is a reboot of the movie franchise based on the hero who debuted in comic books in 1938. The film's performance is critical to the future of Warner Bros and its DC Studios division.

Despite a stable of iconic characters including Batman and Wonder Woman, DC has not been able to match the blockbuster box office power of Walt Disney's Marvel superhero films.

The new "Superman" was written and directed by James Gunn, the filmmaker known for three offbeat "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies for Marvel. Gunn was tapped as co-CEO of DC Studios in 2022, alongside producer Peter Safran, and billed as the hero who could bring consistent success to its film and TV projects.