Tata joins India Inc's battle against Bollywood song

MUMBAI (AFP) - India's Tata empire said Thursday it had joined other powerful corporate names in trying to stop the release of a song in a new Bollywood political thriller that blames them for exploiting the poor.

"Chakravyuh" (Vicious Circle), a film about Maoist rebels in eastern India, includes a musical number "Mehngai" (Inflation), about wealth inequality, with lyrics that target some of the country's best-known businesses.

"Be it Birla or Tata, Ambani or Bata, everyone has exploited the country to protect their own interests. It is with our blood that their engines run smoothly," read some of the lyrics.

Tata Sons, the main holding company of the sprawling Tata conglomerate, has joined the Birla and Bata groups in launching legal proceedings to remove the references to them which they consider defamatory.