Copying for a song

This isn’t the first time when a Britain based Bhangra outfit has vied forchart attention simultaneously with a Hindi film song. The album containingthe track Oh baby don’t break my heartby Stereo Nation was released by TimesMusic just when Mr Abhijeet and Ms Kavita Krishnamurthy were gyrating tonear-identical sounds and lyrics in the soundtrack of Mohabbat.

And guess what? Both the albums sold like hot cakes! The Mohabbat ripoff byNadeem-Shravan did slightly better than the original Bhangra-pop album byStereo Nation. Perhaps the music listening public doesn’t really care aboutwhere their share of rhythms are coming from as long as they can shake aleg.

In fact Stereo Nation went on record to state that they were flattered bythe imitation by Nadeem-Shravan. It isn’t known if Mr Jagpal and Ms Mansoorare also flattered by the neo-avatar of their song. In fact it isn’t evenclear as yet whether Mr Malik has actually copied this imported Bhangrasole-stirring number like he had ripped off Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Qawwallias Mera piya ghar aaya in Yaraana four years ago. He even had the gall toproudly declare that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahib should be grateful to himfor popularising his Qawwalli in these parts by converting it into a filmsong.

Ironically not too many people in this country would have paid attention toGhar aaja sohniya if it wasn’t for the Fiza song. And now that it has gotits share of attention, I think the album should gracefully withdraw fromthe cribbing game. For, the fact is, there is nothing like original popmusic any longer. There’re clever, often untraceable, adaptations. But theoriginals went out of style with Mr Rajesh Roshan.

Mr Malik defends himself stoutly against charges of plagiarism. "Reportsthat Aaja mahiya is a straight lift of Aaja sohniya are completely false. Ifind that so funny. Have you heard my song properly? The words Aaja sohniyawere given by me eighteen years back in Sohni Mahiwal. So if I say theseguys have copied me, are they willing to accept it?"

Mr Malik then gets really agitated. "Aaja mahiya or aaja sohniya. Arreykissi ke baap ki jagir hai kya?."But it isn’t so much the words, it’s thetunes that sound suspiciously similar. "But the tunes are so different.Don’t forget you’re talking to a composer, not a trader. How can people talkthis way?"

Regarding the notice issued by Venus music company about the uncannyresemblances between Aaja sohniya and Aaja mahiya, Mr Malik spits out,"Champak Jain of Venus really doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’sfrustrated because Tips is getting super-success with Fiza. Ratan Jain cameto my home just the other day pleading that I do a film for Venus. They’redesperate to sign me. I find this very funny. If Tips is getting successit’s because they’re buying the right kind of music. They’remaking the rightmoves and they deserve every bit of success they’re getting."

Coming from a Venus loyalist who got his first superstarry break Baazigarthrough the company, Mr Malik’ shift in loyalty sounds paradoxical. Butthat’s showbiz for you. Here today, gone over tomorrow. "Aaja mahiya is nota copy," Mr Malik reminds me. And he sings Mr Gulzar’s gorgeous words. Thenhe sings the words from Aaja sohniya. And guess what? They do sound similar.Mr Malik insists there’s no similarity. “Even an idiot can see they are twodifferent tunes based on the same raga. Just because Anu Malik is popularand his music is selling well it doesn’t mean he has copied anyone. Thesewords and tunes have been used for fifty years. Kitna farq hai between thetwo tunes. Zameen-aasman ka farq hai. As long as my director Khalid Mohammedis with me I’m not worried. Are people going to take potshots at me becausemy song is popular? Can’t I claim that these people have taken their songfrom my Sohni Mahiwal which I did many years ago?"

Mr Malik says the Venus people deliberately releasedGhar aaja sohniya toclash with his Fiza. "Venus hasn’t had a hit after my Josh," he preens,conveniently forgetting the blockbuster status accorded toNadeem-Shravan’sDhadkan for Venus. "Well my Josh was an equally big hit.Both T Series and Venus laughed all the way to the bank with my Har Dil JoPyar Karega and Josh respectively. In fact I should now hike my price. Don’tyou think I rightfully deserve the Filmfare award for Refugee or Fiza? Thistime God willing, I will get it".

A lot of Punjabi musical talents from Great Britain seem to be finding theirway back home after attaining local success in the Asian music scene ofEngland. Curiously the Bhangra sound produced in England sounds purer, morevigorous and earnest than their counterpart in India. The Bhangra-pop tracksby Mr Aadesh Shrivastava in Joru Ka Ghulam, Shikari and Kunwara sound likedistant echoes from the sarso ka fields of Ludhiana. The Bhangra wallahsfrom Britain like the Sahotas, Stereo Nation, Bally Sagoo and Bally Jagpalseem to be getting it right.

Could it be because the distance makes their art grow stronger? Is theBhangra-pop phenomenon in Britain yet another manifestation of the culturalintegrity of NRIs as compared with the mongrelised milieu of themetropolises?

No matter how we look at it, Bhangra-pop from the UK is making its way intoHindi films. Whether Mr Malik has ripped off Ghar aaja sohniyaremains amystery. Fiza director Khalid Mohamed says Mr Malik came to him with thetune nearly a year back whereas Mr Jagpal and Ms Manzoor seem to have donetheir thing quite recently. Even if Mr Malik has sought inspiration from hismusician-brothers across the seas we really can’t blame him. With producersclamouring for his attention in spite of an over-flowing date diary whatdoes the poor guy do? Either he seeks unofficial assistance from distantsources. Or he employs a battery of assistants to do the needful. S D Burmanhad Jaidev. Madan Mohan had Sonik-Omi. Raamlaxman had Uttam Singh and R DBurman had Basu Chakravarthy.

But Mr Malik has only himself.