Famous music composer Pritam He has come out against plagiarism allegations related to his recently released song ‘Mashooqa’ from ‘Cocktail 2’, expressing his frustration at the criticisms spreading on social media. Shortly after the song was dropped, controversy erupted online when several users claimed that its melody bore a striking resemblance to the 1993 Italian number ‘Se So Arrubate A Nonna’. The reaction did not stop there, the situation also encouraged the netizens to bury and revise the accusations of plagiarism previously made against the composer.
Pritam breaks his silence on Instagram
Addressing the growing buzz on his Instagram story, Pritam didn’t hold back when he hit the fingers pointing at them. “Each of my song releases comes with a set of self-appointed music detectives who have created a new genre called ‘imaginary similairties’. Same people, same ‘inspired’ thesis… You’re basically my unpaid PR team at this point. I mean guys, NOT NICE,” he wrote.
Online comparisons have put Pritam in the spotlight
Pritam’s reaction was followed by a surge in online chatter about the song, with users drawing comparisons between ‘Mashooqa’ and the Italian song, questioning whether its melody was borrowed directly from the original.
Reddit post creates a storm around Pritam’s ‘Mashooqa’
The debate was sparked when a Reddit user posted side-by-side videos of ‘Mashooqa’ and the original 1993 Italian track, highlighting what they believed to be clear musical similarities between the two. The clip quickly went viral, with a flurry of social media users arguing that the two songs were very similar. Many did not hold back in their criticism of both the song and the composer. “Even after Pritam copied it’s still a sad song,” one person wrote. Another commented: “Copying Bollywood again?” A third said: “It sounds the same.”
Fans defend Pritam, calling the sampling not copying
Meanwhile, a section of Pritam’s supporters pushed back against the allegations, drawing a distinction between inspiration and outright copying. One Reddit user wrote: “That’s called sampling, not stealing/copying. It’s when you take the main beat of a song and layer other instruments with altered lyrics. It’s a very popular concept in the music industry. Artists like Pitbull, Taylor Swift, Kanye and more also sample the track,” suggesting the songwriter may have built on the Italian track rather than lifting it without credit.
About Pritam’s ‘Mashooqa’ and the Italian track
‘Mashooqa’ is a composition by Pritam, written by the lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya and loaned by Raghav Chaitanya and Mahmood Ruaa Kayy, with Italian parts written and performed by Mahmood. The visuals of the song follow the characters of Kriti and Shahid as they cross various destinations while gradually falling for each other. On the other hand, the compared song, ‘Se So Arrubate A Nonna’, is a Neapolitan number by the Italian couple Bibi and Coco, and in 1993 ‘Le Origini Vol. 2′. Its title translates to “The Kidnapped Grandmother” in the Neapolitan dialect. Although the song didn’t make a significant global mark when it was released, it has since built a devoted following and achieved cult status over the years.
Pritam’s ‘Cocktail 2’ releases on June 19
the director Homi Adajonia‘Cocktail 2’ is a sequel to the popular 2012 film ‘Cocktail’ which starred Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty. The film will hit theaters on June 19. Back on social media, the controversy surrounding ‘Mashooqa’ shows no sign of dying down, with users divided between those who feel the song is a copycat and those who believe it was inspired by ‘Se So Arrubate A Nonna’. Amidst all the noise, Pritam has stood his ground and made it clear that he strongly disagrees with the plagiarism claims thrown his way.
