Prakash Jha refuses to drop 'Birla' name from Chakravyuh song

NEW DELHI: Filmmaker Prakash Jha, whose upcoming film Chakravyuh landed in a controversy because a song in it names top industrialists like Tata and Birla, said he will not drop any company's name from the song despite receiving a legal notice from the Birlas.

"We have replied to the notice and will not drop any name from the song," Jha told ET, reiterating that there was no intention on his part to harm anyone's reputation or attack anybody personally.

Several members of the Birla family, including Kumar Mangalam Birla, Yash Birla, Siddharth Birla, CK Birla, SK Birla, BK Birla and Nirmala Birla, who run separate businesses, sent a joint legal notice to Jha, the film's producer, songwriter and singer, asking him to drop the family name from the ' Mehangai' song within 48 hours.

"The lyrics are false, malicious, baseless and frivolous besides being uncharitable, abominable, reckless, mischievous and defamatory and...have been made with ulterior motives," the legal notice said. Singer Kailash Kher, who is also a party to the notice, said the Birlas should not have reacted in the manner they have. "A song like this cannot damage anyone's reputation. These corporates have built a name for themselves over so many years and are big brands in their own right. The usage of those words is only symbolic," Kher said.