Why ‘Ek Chumma Tu Mujhko Udhaar De De' is haunting Govinda and Shilpa Shetty after 20 years
“Ek chumma tu muhko udhaar de de. Aur badle mein UP, Bihar le le” (Lend me a kiss and take UP and Bihar in return).
This is a stupid excerpt from a stupid song from an even more stupid movie, but in 1996, at the height of Govinda’s reign on Bollywood, this was commonplace. The song “Ek Chumma tu Mujhko Udhaar De De” from the movie Chhote Sarkar has come back to haunt Govinda and Shilpa Shetty 20 years later.
Indians excel at a lot of things. We have a great cricket squad. Our country has some of the smartest people working in technology. We can do anything we set our sights on, better than anyone else. And yet, the thing that we do the best, more than anyone in this whole wide world, is getting offended.
And of late, we have started catching up with the world in the business of offence. Whenever we get offended, nowadays we tend to sue the guilty party. [Clearly, mere issuing of threats and good old vandalism doesn't cut it anymore.]
From comedy groups, to movies, to magazines, to posters, to cricketers, we have sued them all.
A lawyer from Pakur, Jharkhand (erstwhile Bihar) had filed a case against Govinda and Shilpa Shetty back in the year 2000 (four years after the movie was released) because the song lyrics defamed the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
A non-bailable warrant was also issued against director Vimal Kumar, singers Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik, songwriter Anand Milind and music composer Rani Malik in 2001.
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| Just Govind being Govinda - a still from Chhote Sarkar. [Photo: YouTube screengrab] |
Why is this even relevant 16 years later?
Well, according to reports, the hearing of that particular case was scheduled for June 30 this year. Neither actor, however, showed up for the hearing. The court has now directed Mumbai police to bring in the actors asked to testify in the court in Pakur on October 18.
It is interesting to note that the song also potentially defamed Punjab and Delhi because Govinda offered them in return for Shilpa Shetty's consent. He also offers to give away Bengal and Assam in return for a couple of kisses. Apart from that, the actor even persuades Shilpa Shetty to hold his hand in return for Mumbai and Gujarat.
Let’s pray that these cities and states don’t follow suit. Else, it would be too much of a sue-nami for Govinda and Shilpa "Yogini" Shetty to handle.