Mirzapur The Movie has found itself surrounded by controversy shortly after its theatrical release, with Rajasthani rapper and folk artist Rapperiya Baalam raising objections over the use of his popular song ‘Shoorveer’ in the film.
The musician has alleged that the song was used without his permission or direct communication. What has further upset him is the context in which the track reportedly appears in the film.
Rapperiya Baalam recently took to social media to speak about the issue. “Today, my heart is broken. Some of you may ask why my heart is broken. You might say I should be happy because my song is in Mirzapur. But the Mirzapur team did not take my permission to use my song. Who gave them the permission? I certainly did not,” he said.
According to the artist, ‘Shoorveer’ was specifically created as a tribute to Maharana Pratap. He questioned the decision to use the song in a sequence that, in his view, presents the film’s gangsters in a glorified manner.
“This song is dedicated to Maharana Pratap ji. We are using this song to glorify the villains in the movie. Is this right?” he said.
Rapperiya Baalam also said he would have been open to collaborating with the team had they approached him directly.
“If the Mirzapur team had approached me and said, ‘Rapperiya bhai, we want to use your song,’ we would have given them 10 ideas. But taking the song without permission is not right,” he said.
The artist further raised questions about the copyright and licensing process involved in using the track.
“I don’t know who gave you these rights or from whom you obtained them. Whoever gave you the rights, I would like you to ask them: Do you have any copyright?” he added.
Rapperiya Baalam also described the alleged use of the song as disrespectful towards Rajasthan and Maharana Pratap.
“Why wouldn’t it hurt? This is an insult to Rajasthan. It is an insult to Maharana Pratap ji, and we will not be able to tolerate this,” he said.
At the same time, the musician acknowledged that the song’s appearance in the film had led many listeners to reach out to him. He said he received messages from people who recognised the track while watching Mirzapur: The Movie.
“Being the composer and singer of the song, and seeing millions of people listening to it, of course, your enthusiasm brings a lot of messages. Thousands of messages have come to me in DMs saying, ‘Brother, your song is in Mirzapur.’ But, Mirzapur team, you should have done this properly. You should have spoken to me,” he said.
Rapperiya Baalam concluded by indicating that he would take whatever steps he considers necessary. “Anyway, whatever action needs to be taken will continue,” he said.
As of now, the makers of Mirzapur: The Movie have not publicly provided a detailed response to Baalam’s allegations.
The film released in theatres on September 4 and has been attracting considerable attention from fans of the franchise. The controversy surrounding Shoorveer has now added another talking point to the film’s theatrical run.
