Hours after the Centre announced that the Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt-starrer song Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke in the Kannada movie KD: The Devil has been banned, director Prem apologised Wednesday and said he did not “intend to write a vulgar song or to hurt anybody’s feelings”.The controversy over the song, featuring Sanjay Dutt and Nora Fatehi, erupted after the filmmakers released the audio on YouTube, where netizens criticised the lyrics, calling them vulgar and objectifying women.This is the first time in Kannada film history that the Centre has removed a song following criticism over its alleged vulgarity.In a video, Prem, who also wrote the lyrics of the song, said that “nobody will commit a mistake with an intention to do it”.“I have written songs about god, mother, brothers, and love. People have expectations, especially from my songs, when a movie is all set to be released. I wrote this song from my perspective, keeping a bottle (alcohol) and a pickle in mind. I did not intend to write a vulgar song or to hurt anybody’s feelings. I do not know how people have understood it. However, it may have hurt some people. My family and I have been abused online. I wish them good luck.”“My intention was never to hurt anyone, and I want to apologise … I will re-write the song in such a way that it won’t hurt anyone and release it nationwide,” he said.His statement came after Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnav informed in Lok Sabha Wednesday that the song has been removed from YouTube. “I would like to say this clearly that we should follow the reasonable restrictions imposed by the creators of the Constitution of India on freedom of speech. Freedom of speech cannot be absolute. It must be in the context of society and culture,” Vaishnav said.Story continues below this adThe minister said that “hard actions should be taken” for the “protection of children and women and deprived groups of people.”The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also issued a legal notice to the filmmakers, prompting them to remove it from YouTube late Tuesday. On Tuesday, Advocate Vineet Jindal approached the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and filed a complaint demanding that the song be banned as the visuals were obscene, harmful, especially for children and women.The Women’s Rights Commissions of Karnataka and Haryana also raised concerns about the song’s lyrics.During a recent press meet, when Prem was questioned by the media, he defended the song’s lyrics, saying he had written them in a different context.Story continues below this adAfter the controversy unfolded, Nora Fatehi said on Wednesday that the song was shot in Kannada three years ago and she was unaware of the Hindi song.“When I was invited for the launch at the event, I saw the Kannada version, which, first of all, I had a major issue with because they didn’t take any approval from me when they created that lyrical version, they used very unflattering photos, and if anyone knows me, they know that I have to approve all my photos. Then they created an AI-generated image of Sanjay Dutt with me, which I’m already against. I was already feeling really irritated at the event when I saw what I saw,” she said.“I just want to say thank you for the backlash. Because of that, they’ve been able to take it down, so thank you,” she said in the video.Singer Mangli also posted her apology on Instagram. “Out of respect for public sentiment, the song has been removed from all platforms. I sincerely apologise to each and every one of you for the unintended mistake. It was never meant to hurt anyone’s sentiments, and we truly regret the oversight.”Story continues below this adIn December last year, Prem faced backlash for another song from KD: The Devil, Annthamma Jodetthu Kano, over its lyrics. However, the filmmaker said that it was colloquial usage.