‘Stop stealing our songs!’: Pakistanis troll Bollywood for remaking ‘Pasoori’

Bollywood announced the Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani-starrer film Satyaprem Ki Katha as the “musical of the year”, and yet the film needs Ali Sethi and Shae Gill’s song Pasoori to complete its album.

The news of Bollywood recreating the Coke Studio hit – that not only put Pakistan on the global map but is an original creation – has fans in a frenzy. Users on social media are trolling the makers for using Pakistani songs when convenient but not giving any respect to the artists.

“It's only been a year only and they’re making a remake of it?! Please Bollywood bring back your originality and leave Pasoori alone. Coke Studio, protect this song at all cost,” wrote a user on Twitter. “Bollywood remaking Pasoori will be my villain origin story,” wrote another.

A tweep called the move a “blatant erasure and robbery of Pakistani art.” They wrote, “No, when do we talk about this blatant erasure and robbery of Pakistani art? From our OSTs to folk songs to Pasoori to whatnot. Just yesterday, I heard a very, very horrible cover of ‘Tu Jhoom’ on IG reels that Indians are using instead of the original. Can you not make something good yourself?”

A user argued that only Pakistanis should have the right to recreate Pasoori, if ever, and not Bollywood. “If Pasoori is to be remade, it should be for a PAKISTANI FILM and not for a third-class Bollywood film! They disrespect our artists, and our country in their movies, and then shamelessly copy our songs,” read the tweet.

Another agreed with Bollywood’s pattern of using Pakistani content without giving credit where it's due. “It’s the way you all would shamelessly claim that Pasoori is your song and you’d give no credit at all to Ali Sethi and Shae Gill. That’s what you did with Nach Punjaban,” they wrote.

“Stop stealing Pakistani songs!” wrote an annoyed user. “We don’t want your cheap recreation. Then you all go around without giving credit -the same industry that faced a lawsuit for stealing another Pakistani song (not to mention other countless stolen songs).” 

“No one can recreate Ali Sethi and Shae Gill’s magic, oh my God,” wrote a fan. “Even AR Rahman told you all to stop remaking his songs,” they continued.

Another fan saw it coming, given how “greedy” Bollywood is. “It’s unfortunate that we knew this would happen as soon as Pasoori hit popularity last year. Where is the creativity? Pasoori has 600m views! Just waiting for Kahani Suno to be “remade” now. Why do great songs need to be remade at all? Just so they can be “claimed”?” they asked.

Others blamed it on Aaryan for being the king of “remakes and recreations.” A user gave an example of how remakes follow him wherever he goes. From Bhool Bhulaiyya to Luka Chuppi songs to Bom Diggy in Sonu Ki Titu Ki Sweety, Aaryan’s “career” is made from “remakes,” argued a tweep.