Omer Nadeem accuses Indian singer Sonu Nigam of plagiarising 'Sun Zara'

Pakistani singer alleged similarities with his 14-year-old release ‘Aey Khuda’

In a recent development that has shocked some in the music industry, renowned Indian singer Sonu Nigam is facing accusations of plagiarism in his latest rendition of the song Sun Zara, released in collaboration with DJ Sheizwood and Kamaal R Khan (popularly known as KRK) for T-Series on December 2. Pakistani singer Omer Nadeem has alleged similarities between Nigam's version and the former's 2009 song, Aey Khuda.

Despite accumulating over two million views within four days of its release, the credits for Sun Zara make no mention of Nadeem or his record label, intensifying the accusations of plagiarism. The Monotonic singer took to Instagram to voice his disappointment despite being a fan of Nigam.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Omer Nadeem (@omernadeem)

“I’ve reached a point in my life where I couldn’t care less about these things. But hey, if you’re going to do it, at least toss a little credit to the original track,” Nadeem penned in the caption of a video post that contrasts the two songs. Alleging appropriation, the celebrity also stressed the disparity in quality between the two versions.

He added, “If you’re gonna pull this off, could’ve at least done it with some finesse. Huge fan of Sonu Nigam, but let’s be real, this is light years away from the real deal.” Expressing solidarity, actor Armeena Khan tagged Nigam under Nadeem’s post and asked, “Why are you stealing music?”

The controversy sheds light on the broader issue of Bollywood allegedly plagiarizing the work of Pakistani artists, with little to no consequences. The veracity of Nadeem’s claims remains to be affirmed with no rebuttal from Nigam or KRK as of yet. Aside from the ethics of accreditation, plagiarised versions often outperform the originals, given the massive audience Bollywood productions command.

As the debate continues, the music industry faces renewed scrutiny over its practices and the importance of acknowledging and crediting original creators in a landscape where cross-border influences are prevalent.

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