Bollywood steals Abrar’s Nach Punjaban 

The fans of Pakistani music know it very well that many of our songs are often copied; across the border by the one the biggest film industry in the world, Bollywood. This time is Pakistan the famous ‘Nach Punjaban’ by the renowned Pakistani singer Abrar Ul Haq featuring in upcoming Bollywood flick ‘Jugjugg Jeeyo’ produced by Dharma Productions owned by another stalwart of the region Karan Johar.

When the trailer of the above said film was released on May 15 with some clips from the song, the social media users in Pakistan especially twitteraties bombarded with social media networks with tweets, statuses  and comments, condemning the copying of another hit from Pakistan by Bollywood. #AbrarUlHaq and #NachPunjaban remained the top trend on twitter in Pakistan for almost two days. It is to be mentioned here that from the trailer it can be clearly observed that the song has been re-composed for the film.

On the same evening, Abrar Ul Haq also took to his twitter and clearly negated any possibility to sell his song to Dharma Productions and also mentioned that this was his sixth song copied in India.

Controversy attached with Nach Punjaban

When Nach Punjaban was released 20 years back in 2002, the song was highly objected to by a few quarters of society of its ethnic implication and that it was derogatory to Punjabi women. After that, the singer replaced the word Punjaban with Majajan and even used Majajan in his concerts and radio and television shows afterward.

The singer has been the victim of controversy since the beginning his career

Not only Nach Punjaban but Abrar Ul Haq’s first hit Billo (a.k.a. Billo De Ghar) from his debut album Billo De Ghar released in 1995, threw him in hot waters, when some newspapers started quoting some religious factions that the subject of song Billo was prostitute with whom a man is desperately in love and wanted to marry her. Later, in 1997, when Mian Nawaz Sharif led PML-N government came into power; the song was banned from state-owned PTV and radio channels all over Pakistan. However, in 2016, when Abrar’s album ‘Billo Returns Aithay Rakh’ was released, it included the track “Aaj Bhi Billo Zinda Hai” with a reviving theme.

Other songs that Abrar claimed were copied

How much the ‘Billo’ was made the subject of controversy, it could not stop the popularity of the song and the singer. Two years after its release, the track was copied in a Bollywood flick ‘Ziddi’ with the same composition but Hindi lyrics. It was sung by Lalit Sen and filmed on Sunny Deol.

‘December’, unlike Abrar’s trademark bhangra inspired songs, was a melodious Urdu language love song from his second album Majajani (1998) and was lifted in a 2005 Bollywood film ‘Chocolate’ almost without any changes in the lyrics. Sunidhi Chauhan lent her voice for the song and it was filmed on Irfan Khan, Emraan Hashmi, Arshad Warsi and Tanushree Dutta.

The title song from Abrar’s third album ‘Bay Ja Cycle Tay’ (1999) was the third song of the singer that was copied in 2001 by an Indian musician Altaf Raja with lyrics changed to Hindi. Later the melody of the song was also imitated in Bollywood film ‘Aagey Se Right’ (2009).

‘Sanu Tere Nal’ from Abrar’s fourth album ‘Mein Gaddi Aap Chalawan Ga’ (2000) was lifted by singer Udit Narayan for his music album in 2002 with the same composition replacing Punjabi lyrics with Hindi while keeping the English lyrics the same.

The famous title song of Abrar’s fifth studio album ‘Assan Jana Mall-o Mall’ (2002) was plagiarised in 2006 by music director Harry Anand for the film ‘Teesri Aankh’. This time the stolen tune was sung by none other than Suno Nigam while Suzanne De’Mello did the rapping. It was captured on Sunny Deol and Neha Dhupiain.

Abrar’s reaction to the controversy

I have not sold my song ‘Nach Punjaban’ to any Indian movie and reserve the rights to go to court to claim damages. Producers like @karanjohar should not use copy songs. This is my 6th song being copied which will not be allowed at all.

After five hour of Haq’s tweet, a UK based company MOVIEBOX which claims to control the largest UK Bhangra catalogue tweeted that Johar and his company had legal rights to use the song in their film and the earlier tweet by the singer was defamatory and unacceptable.

Nach Panjaban has been officially licensed for it to be included in the Film ‘JugJugg Jeeyo’ by @TSeries. @karanjohar and @DharmaMovies have the legal rights to use this song in their film and the tweet by @AbrarUlHaqPK earlier today is defamatory and completely unacceptable.

Abrar Ul Haq however, next day, tweeted, without mentioning the MOVIEBOX, that if someone claiming the song was licences to them, then produce the agreement. He also warned of to take the legal action Song ‘Nach Punjaban’ has not been licensed to anyone. If someone is claiming it, then produce the agreement. I will be taking legal action. #NachPunjaban

BOLD tried contacting the singer several times  but Abrar Ul Haq, was unavailable for any comment. However, the famous music streaming services Deezer and Spotify show the label of Nach Punjaban ‘MOVIEBOX BIRMINGHAM LTD’.