Mani Ratnam responds to Anurag Kashyap’s Tamil songs criticism for having english lyrics. There has been a debate raging in the Indian film industry following the criticism of the growing trend of English lyrics in Tamil songs by Anurag Kashyap. Seasoned filmmaker Mani Ratnam, who is best known for his classic contributions to Tamil films. This has now hit back at the comments defending the artistic decisions that led to bilingual lyrics.

Anurag Kashyap’s Criticism
While recently speaking on this issue, Anurag Kashyap voiced his displeasure with Tamil songs having a lot of English lyrics, as he said, the trend “didn’t make sense at all”. According to him, Tamil cinema should maintain its linguistic identity and not be a follower of Western influences.

Mani Ratnam Responds to Anurag Kashyap’s Comment:

Mani Ratnam spoke about the criticism in an interview, especially regarding his new film Thug Life. This contains a song called “Sugar Baby” that has heavy English words. He clarified that art cannot be hindered by strict guidelines and quoted:

“Your don’t approach with rules of saying, ‘I will only do this.’ If it’s right, then you make a step which is right for you. Why limit yourself with some false grammar?”

Ratnam pointed out that his movies have always shown respect towards Tamil poetry and language, frequently working with A.R. Rahman so as to include Tamil literary aspects in music. But he thinks a blend of styles has the capacity to make stories stronger.

The Use of English Lyrics in Tamil Songs
Ratnam scoffed at the possibility that English lyrics are incorporated only to capture the attention of young people, citing that originality is more important than being trendy. He further elaborated that the choice of style should respond to the story and characters, not be inflicted for mass popularity.

On the heels of Ratnam’s reply, the discussion still rages among cinemats and audiences. Some concurred with Kashyap’s fear of losing Tamil identity, while others concurred with Ratnam’s belief in art evolving without constraints.

ALSO READ: When Mani Ratnam Rejected Trisha for Aishwarya Rai

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