Music composer Pritam has broken his silence after online users accused the latest Cocktail 2 track, “Mashooqa”, of sounding similar to an old Italian song. The composer dismissed the allegations with sarcasm, saying social media “music detectives” regularly appear every time he releases a new track.
‘Mashooqa' Plagiarism Row
The controversy started soon after the song “Mashooqa” was dropped online, featuring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. A section of listeners claimed the song's beat and hook line resembled the 1993 Italian track “Se So Arrubate A Nonna” by musical duo Bibi & Coco.
As clips comparing the two songs spread across social media platforms, many users began debating whether the similarities pointed to inspiration, sampling or outright copying; however, some voices from the music industry reportedly defended the track.
Pritam's Response
Reacting to the controversy on Instagram Stories, Pritam took a dig at the accusations and sarcastically referred to social media users accusing him of copying music as his “unpaid PR team.”
“Every single one of my song releases comes with a set of self-appointed music detectives, who have created a new genre called ‘imaginary similarities,'” he wrote.
He further added, “Same people, same ‘inspired by' thesis… Boss, at this point, you are my unpaid PR team. I just want to say, guys, not nice.”
His statement quickly gained attention online, with fans split over the issue. While many defended the composer and called the criticism unnecessary, others continued debating the similarities between the tracks.
About ‘Cocktail 2'
Cocktail 2 is directed by Homi Adajania and serves as a follow-up to the 2012 film Cocktail. The original movie featured Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan and Diana Penty, with a script written by Imtiaz Ali.
The sequel stars Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna, while the screenplay has been written by Luv Ranjan and Tarun Jain. Backed by producers Dinesh Vijan, Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg, the film is scheduled to release in theatres on June 19.
The movie also reunites Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon after their 2024 romantic sci-fi film Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya.
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