Aamir Khan in a war of words with Javed Akhtar

Who should get the credit for a hit movie song? The lyricist, music composer, singer or the actor who lends his/her lips to it? Well, the debate on this issue has gripped.

Bollywood and seen superstar Aamir Khan pitted in a battle with lyricist Javed Akhtar and the actor resigning from a committee of experts set up by Indian government to review proposed amendments to copyright laws.

Aamir has sent a letter to Indian Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal informing him that he has resigned from the committee as his integrity was being questioned by some members in the debate on the copyrights issue.

“It seems to me that there is an attempt by certain people to attack me in public by printing lies about me, thereby turning the attention from a genuine debate on copyrights issues.

“In the light of these public attacks on me, I don't think I'm comfortable to be part of this committee,” said Aamir.

The actor and Akhtar had sparred on the issue of royalty on songs at a meeting recently with Aamir arguing that the success of a film song did not solely depend on the efforts of the lyricist, music composer and singer and a star contributed to it while Akhtar citing numerous instances of how some songs had actually made stars out of newcomers in the film industry.

Akhtar particularly pointed to the hit song “Papa Kahtey Hain” from Aamir's debut film “Qayamat Sey Qayamat Tak” which made him an instant heartthrob.

Akhtar said all over the world writers and musicians get their due credit and royalty for their creations but in India right from the first contract, the writers and the lyricists lose their rights.

He said even the government acknowledged that writers and lyricists work like bonded labourers. “Even a musician of the calibre of Ustad Bismillah Khan had to die in abject poverty. Isn't that shameful?” the lyricist added.

The experts committee was set up to discuss the film industry's concerns about amendments to the Copyright Act of 1957 and the proposed amendments would seek to strike a balance between lyricists, writers and music composers and the producers of a film. The final aim is to ensure lyricists and composers become part of the revenue flowing from use of songs and music for purposes outside the film.

Aamir said the amendments to the Copyright Act are long overdue. The actor had recently been embroiled in the row between makers of the latest box office hit movie “3 Idiots” starring him and Chetan Bhagat, the author of the book on which the film was based, over the issue of credit to Bhagat. Aamir had sided with the film's producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and its director Raj Kumar Hirani in the war of words with Bhagat.