‘Women shown as just sex objects’: Neetu Chandra files PIL against Honey Singh for raunchy Maniac song

Actor Neetu Chandra has initiated a fight against rapper and singer Yo Yo Honey Singh over his new song Maniac, accusing him of showing women as sex objects.

She has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Patna High Court against him. She said she wants a ban on “such vulgar songs”.

What we know about the case

As per PTI, Neetu has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in Patna High Court, accusing Honey Singh of vulgarity and sexualising women in his latest song Maniac. Along with Honey Singh, the PIL also mentions other artists who have collaborated with him on the song, including lyricist Leo Grewal and Bhojpuri singers Ragini Vishwakarma and Arjun Ajanabi. The case is likely to have a hearing later this month.

‘Women should never make the mistake of treating anyone as an object because insulting a woman has always resulted in painful consequences,’ read the PIL.

What is Neetu Chandra saying

Neetu, who has worked on projects such as Garam Masala and Traffic Signal, has asked Honey Singh to amend the lyrics of his song. In her PIL, she has argued that the song “portrays overt sexualisation,” depicting “women as mere sex objects”. She has also claimed that the song employs “Bhojpuri language to normalise vulgarity” and disregards “women’s empowerment”.

In an interview with India TV, Neetu said, “Vulgar Bhojpuri and Hindi songs are not leaving the girls and women going to school and college in Bihar, and they are forced to walk on the road with their eyes down. Due to these songs, women do not even like to watch TV at home. Many singers singing such songs have gained fame today, which can become an obstacle in the development of society and country.”

She added, ‘When girls or women will not be able to walk safely on the road, then will they be able to think about development. If a government can bring a law to ban liquor in its state to save women from drunken husbands, then can it not ban these vulgar songs for school-college going girls and women. I want there should be a complete ban on the production and playing of these songs in Bihar”.

Honey Singh’s song Maniac is in collaboration with T-Series. The video also features Esha Gupta. It was released on February 22 and has amassed over 7 crore views on YouTube.