Pathaan controversy: ‘Besharam rang’ has problems, but Deepika Padukone’s orange bikini is not one of them

The song lacks originality and has lazy lyrics. Musically, it is indefensible. In no Urdu or Hindi dictionary is “sharifi” a word. Its forced usage to mean “modesty”, to me, is one of the most obvious issues with the recently released song, “Besharam rang” from the Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer Pathaan. This is besides the lacklustre tune composed by Vishal-Sheykhar and the pedestrian choreography by the otherwise talented Vaibhavi Merchant. There isn’t even an interesting hook to latch on to. This is a song without any earwormy qualities, that could have been easily ignored or forgotten.

But this is India, and we live in the volatile world of social media which follows the playbook of chaos. Out of the many elements for which one could criticise the song, it’s the orange outfit worn by Padukone, which features for about 15 seconds towards the end, that has caused a furore. Outrage has been generated by those who consider the colour saffron to be a part of their cultural legacy and not just a fall fashion favourite hue. Padukone’s swimsuit is orange and so “Hindu sentiments are being hurt”. Also, what’s bothering many is the use of the term “Besharam rang”, based on the inaccurate understanding that the song is using this term to describe saffron. That particular line from the song means “the world hasn’t seen my true colours”. “It’s a metaphor for the immodesty of the heart, like ‘Badtameez dil‘, a phrase by lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya.”