‘Chikiri Chikiri’ Song Called Out for Vulgarity

After the backlash against Sivaji for his crude remarks on women’s clothing, attention has now shifted to a much bigger star. Ram Charan’s upcoming release Peddi has landed in controversy following the release of the song Chikiri Chikiri.

The song is being criticised for its vulgar lyrics and crass objectification of its female lead, Janhvi Kapoor — ironically, an actor who once told this writer she would never be part of anything vulgar or double-meaning song on screen. What then, convinced her to feature in Chikiri?

A leading Telugu actor points to the industry’s double standards. “When A-list superstars are involved, no one objects to the objectification of women in songs and dances. Ram Charan is not the first Telugu superstar to court his heroine through inappropriate lyrics. Even vocal feminists remain silent when the offender is a superstar.”

This writer attempted to seek comments from several prominent Telugu actors, actresses and filmmakers, but all declined. One filmmaker remarked, “No one speaks up against superstars. In the 1990s, Anil Kapoor got away with an extremely vulgar song with Juhi Chawla (Khada Hai Khada Hai in Pahlaj Nihalani’s Andaz), claiming he didn’t realise what he was singing. Ram Charan, too, has reportedly told friends he wasn’t aware of how crude the lyrics sounded.”