"Kaun Kitney Paani Mein" director Nila Madhab Panda, who has used the controversial Sambalpuri cult song "Rangabati" in his film, says he has procured the rights to use the track.
The re-rendition of the song by singer Sona Mohapatra and Rituraj Mohanty for "Coke Studio" caused a lot of flutter. A lawsuit was filed against the singers for distorting the original track.
But the director, who hails from Odisha, has clarified that he has the requisite permissions for using "Rangabati", read a statement.
Panda says he has taken written permission from the lyricist Mitrabhanu Gauntia and music director Prabhudutta Pradhan as he wanted to give a tribute to his land.
"I'm very proud of bringing my own soil through this song to Hindi cinema, also I kept the basic rhythm and its essence," he said in a statement.
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The National Award winning filmmaker added that he hopes the dispute between the singers and original composers of the song will get solved amicably soon.
Set against the backdrop of Odisha, "Kaun Kitney Paani Mein" travels between two villages fighting over a water reservoir since a couple of decades as it aims at making viewers aware of the impending water crisis and sanitation in rural areas where 70 percent of India's population resides.
The film, which stars Kunal Kapoor, Radhika Apte, Gulshan Grover and Saurabh Shukla, is slated to release on August 28.
