Censor Board formally apologies for 'Aaja Nach le' song

New Delhi, Feb 14 (UNI) The Censor Board has tendered a formal apology to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) for clearing the Madhuri Dixit-starrer 'Aaja Nach Le' in which, wording of a song was considered derogatory to a caste group.

''We have received an affidavit from the Censor Board accepting its mistake in passing the film with the song containing objectionable words,'' a senior official of the Commission told UNI today.

The film was banned in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab for its lyric...''mohalhe mein kaisi maara maar hai, bole mochi bhi khud ko sonar hai...''(There were fights in the area to see me, and even the shoe makers would call themselves goldsmiths.) Earlier Board Chairperson Sharmila Tagore had appeared before the Commission and sought to explain that the film was cleared as the Board believed that the word 'Mochi' did not refer to a Scheduled Caste but to a profession.

NCSC Chairman Buta Singh while accepting the Censor Board Chairperson's explanation, had, however, advised her to be more careful in future, and file a written affidavit explaining the decision.

The offence said to have been committed by the ''derogatory' reference to the caste comes under the Civil Rights Protection Act of 1955.

UNI NAZ BDP MIR KP1705