On This Day - Bob Dylan's Birthday: Here's How Anubhav Sinha Obtained the Rights of "Blowin’ In the Wind" for ‘Article 15’

The song has acquired a cult status over the years.

Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind" is one of the most powerful songs ever in the history of music. Released in 1963, the song has acquired cult status over the years and is celebrated for its poetic tune and politically charged lyrics. It poses several rhetorical questions about war, peace, and freedom.

In Anubhav Sinha's 2019 Hindi film 'Article 15', the song plays in the background at a very pivotal moment. It is the only song used in the film, besides some incidental snatches of local music.

Today, on Bob Dylan's birthday, let's learn how Sinha obtained the rights to use the song in his film.

How Anubhav Sinha Obtained the Rights of "Blowin In the Wind" for 'Article 15'

In 2019, Sinha spoke about the same in an interview, saying: "Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin' In The Wind’ was written into the script of Article 15. It was the only song I wanted in my film. It encapsulates the spirit of exploration and salvation that my hero Ayushmann Khurrana goes through. I love the song’s lyrics specially, ‘How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?’ These words epitomized my film."

 

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"I didn’t know where to start the process. I knew it would be a long-drawn process, and expensive, and at the end of I may not be able to afford it. I got in touch with a friend in the US who got in touch with another friend who knew Bob Dylan’s manager Jeff Rosen.

Finally I spoke to Rosen and told him what we required. To my surprise he was very supportive. He told us to use the song and pay whatever token amount we could afford."

Speaking about how much he had to pay for it, Sinha said, "It could’ve been a lot lot more than we could afford. I don’t know what I’d have done then. But I wouldn’t have made the film without Dylan’s song. What we paid is a big dent to our budget. But worth every penny."