Manoj Muntashir issues public apology for Adipurush dialogues: Our intentions were pious

Prabhas-starring Adipurush debuted in theaters almost six months ago, during which time it generated several controversies. These included the film's "cringe" dialogue, which was written by lyricist-writer Manoj Muntashir. The screenwriter has now apologized in public for his work in the movie and asked that people not judge his 25 years of work for a single error.

Manoj Muntashir apologies for Adipurush dialouges 

Speaking at an event on Saturday evening on Sabme Base So Ram Kahaye at Bhartendu Natya Academy, Muntashir said, “Woh sarfiri andhi thi, sambhalna pada; main aakhiri chiraag tha, jalna pada (It was a maddening storm, I had to adjust; I was the last lamp, I had to light up).”

The debate moved from Ram to the dialogues of Adipurush that had caught him in the eye of a storm. Facing tough questions on what had made him write the controversial dialogues, Muntashir took the opportunity to ask for public forgiveness and not judge his abilities and 25 years of work based on one instance.

“There is no better place than Lucknow, the capital of the state where Ram was born and also the land that is the ink and blood of my writings, to seek an apology for that mistake. With all humility, I accept that even though our intentions were pious, we got carried away and did not realise that it would not be taken kindly by the people,” Muntashir said.

He claimed that as a writer, his hands were bound by the screenplay left him little room for course correction.

Manoj Muntashir asks for forgiveness

The screenwriter went on to defend the director and producers of the movie and said: “Within two days of the release, we made sure that we corrected our mistakes. We rewrote the dialogues and replaced the objectionable ones. Overnight, 10,000 prints were altered.”

The discussion gradually moved toward the root of the problem—the shrinking space for quality lyrics and writing in movies, and songs losing the depth and gravitas with which they once captivated the imagination of the audiences.

Muntashir accepted that songwriting has become insipid. He, however, said that a few writers are still committed to upholding the legacy of Anand Bakshi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Sahir Ludhianvi, and Kaifi Azmi.

(with inputs from IANS)