Ishaan Khatter will be next seen in the masala entertainer, Khaali Peeli. The actor plays the role of a taxi driver, who is on the run with a woman who's absconding with presumably stolen money. Ananya Pandey stars as the latter. A song, "Beyonse Sharma Jayegi", from the movie was under fire for alleged racist undertones. You see the song lyrics were, "Tujhe dekh ke goriya, Beyonce sharma jayegi." Although, Ishaan has said that the word goriya was taken out of context. Khaali Peeli: Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter's Team to Rewrite 'Beyonce Sharma Jayegi' as Pop Star Trademarked Her Name?

While the literal translation of goriya is a fair-skinned woman, over the years, after repeated use, it has simply come to be used as a synonym for a woman. Or so Ishaan argues. "I have asked a lot of questions to people from rural areas, who’ve clarified that ‘gori’ has been used in multiple songs, for ages, as just referencing a girl. Like you’d say ‘launda’ or ‘chhora’, you also say ‘gori’, and that is the context in which it was used," the actor said in an interview with Film Companion. 

"It was never meant to be about the complexion, let alone race," he added.

The film's director Maqbool Khan had shared the same sentiment in a statement. "First, without any hesitation or excuses, we want to apologise to anyone offended. We assure you that the lyric in question was never intended racially. In fact, the term ‘goriya’ has been so often and traditionally used in Indian songs to address a girl, that it didn’t occur to any of us to interpret it in a literal manner" the filmmaker has said. Khaali Peeli Song Beyonce Sharma Jayegi: Netizens Slam the Track For Comparing Ananya Panday to Queen Bey and Using 'Racist' Term Like 'Goriya'.

Khaali Peeli is forced to skip a theatrical release amid the coronavirus pandemic. It will be the first Bollywood movie to release under the pay per view model as the beginning of the new normal. But, the movie has courted more than enough controversy to make it's journey tough.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2020 12:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).