Mumbai, Feb. 17: A panel set up to look into a proposal on film royalty sharing has got caught in Bollywood’s celebrity wars.

Superstar Aamir Khan, the only actor on the committee set up by human resource development minister Kapil Sibal, has resigned following a spat with lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar at the panel’s very first meeting on Monday.

The 10-member committee comprising Bollywood producers, writers, composers and lyricists was announced by the HRD ministry on Sunday after producers and music companies objected to the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act.

The amendments, if passed by Parliament, will for the first time ensure that lyricists and music directors receive a share of royalties earned from songs used in Bollywood films. They will also ensure that directors receive a share of royalties from the films they make.

Under India’s present copyright law, royalties are paid to the film’s producers and the companies holding the music rights.

The decades-old tussle between content-creators and producer-marketers turned bitter at the Monday meet when Akhtar, who has penned some memorable film songs, made some searing comments against Aamir.

Sources said the war of words began when the actor commented that a lyricist did not contribute much to the success of a song.

“The success of a song depends on the way it is picturised on a star,” Aamir was quoted as saying by a source present at the meet.

Akhtar, the source said, took umbrage at this.

“Your first big song was Papa Kehte Hain. Did it make you a star or did you make that song run?” Akhtar reportedly asked Aamir.

Aamir, the source said, retaliated.

“He looked long and hard at Javed saab for a while and then suddenly said that in any case the contribution of the writer was greater than the lyricist in terms of creative contribution to a film’s success. Javed saab flew off the handle,” said the source.

Shocking everyone present, Akhtar reportedly commented, “Good for Chetan Bhagat” in a reference to the recent public spat the best-selling author has had with the producers of Aamir’s blockbuster 3 Idiots.

Aamir had backed his producer and director, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani respectively, after Bhagat had complained he had not been given proper credit as a writer though the film was based on his best-selling novel Five Point Someone.

“The 3 Idiots controversy surrounding writer Chetan Bhagat is a touchy issue for Aamir. He was stung by Javed saab’s sudden attack and soon left the meeting. Today he has resigned,” said the source.

Akhtar could not be reached for comment.

Javed Akhtar

In his resignation letter to Sibal, the actor has written: “I cannot make any meaningful contribution in this atmosphere. Aggression of this type leaves me feeling very disillusioned and sad and I am unable to function.”

He, however, applauded Sibal’s move, saying the amendments were long overdue.

In New Delhi, Sibal expressed sympathy with Aamir. “I would probably also have reacted in the same way in such a scenario,” the minister said.

Sources in the HRD ministry said the members of the panel had decided, at Sibal’s behest, to maintain a code of silence and ensure their disputes remained behind closed doors.

In what some are perceiving as a veiled dig at Akhtar and his aides — who Aamir has indicated are responsible for the disputes being “leaked” to the media — Sibal said he was disappointed that someone on the committee violated the code.

The amendments to the Copyright Act are a result of several years of opposition from lyricists, film directors and composers, who argue that India’s law is out of tune with those the world over.

“The situation is so unfair that someone like A.R Rahman receives royalties (abroad) on a continuous basis for Slumdog Millionaire, but can never expect any royalty in India for his creations,” said a new-age Bollywood composer who did not wish to be named.

Bollywood sources pointed out that in the past composers such as Shankar-Jaikishan and Rahul Dev Burman were the cash lifeline for music companies. “But the composers, when alive, or their families after their deaths, do not get a penny in royalty though their songs remain popular even today,” said the source.

Many of the frothy musicals of the fifties and sixties owed their success to the music, which ensured a repeat audience for the film in the days when television was still years away. “Amitabh Bachchan is possibly the only actor who could be credited with making a song popular because of his presence in the film,” said the source.

Composer Anu Malik agreed.

“Composers and lyricists have been the most exploited lot since this industry started in India over a 100 years ago. The creators are paid one-time by the producers who then sell the content to the music companies at a massive price. The music companies hold the copyrights, and use them time and again on various platforms to keep making money even after the composer/lyricist is long dead and gone. Be it remixes, usage on Internet, shows, clubs, pubs, mobile ringtone, television shows and what have you, the poor creator is left out altogether, though it is his music, his poetry, which is making the money,” said Malik.

The government, keen to avoid a showdown with Bollywood, does plan to try and incorporate any major suggestions the panel makes. But Aamir’s resignation, merely a reflection of the deep divide within the panel, may help the government escape without changes by arguing that the committee did not reach any consensus.

Apart from Khan and Akhtar, some other heavyweights on the HRD panel are producers Mukesh Bhatt, Boney Kapoor and Ramesh Sippy, T Series tycoon Bhushan Kumar, lyricist Prasoon Joshi and composer-filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj.