Abrar Ul Haq is a remarkably talented and popular Pakistani singer who rose to overnight fame through his song Billo. The song broke all records of popularity. Not only that, but the singer continued producing hit songs throughout his career. Songs like Cycle, Kurian Lahore Dian, Jutt, Nach Punjaban, and Sanu Tere Nal Pyar Ho Gaya earned him immense fame in Pakistan and India. Abrar Ul Haq’s songs have also been among the most frequently copied in Bollywood.
Recently, Abrar Ul Haq appeared on a Geo podcast hosted by Mubashar Hashmi. During the podcast, he slammed Bollywood for the blatant theft of his song Nach Punjaban.
Abrar Ul Haq said, “Look, I didn’t sell the song to them. They just assumed they had the rights to it. When we questioned them, they gave a very interesting reply. They said, ‘Ask your friend Haroon about it, as we got it from him.’ I said, ‘But I didn’t give this song to Haroon; this is my property.’ They replied again, ‘Just ask Haroon.’ They created fake documents and even forged my signatures because litigation is very expensive over there. And it’s not just me—they have done the same thing to many other artists. They are very smart when it comes to manipulation. They know that if international artists work from India, they will have to spend a lot of money. Haroon didn’t do anything wrong. He actually told me a different story. He said, ‘A Bollywood representative told me that another company was releasing Abrar Ul Haq’s song incorrectly, so they asked me to write that we needed to take the song back from that company. So I wrote and gave it to them. But that doesn’t give them the right to sell it. It is astonishing. They sold the entire film by building it around that song. It’s an injustice. I sued them, and the case is currently ongoing. It’s a fraudulent company, Moviebox. I think they are changing their name or may have already changed it. It is an open-and-shut case. Our straightforward question is: if I gave you anything through a written agreement, then please show it. In that case, the rights would be yours. Or show us the person who sold it to you. They have failed to provide any evidence. So the case is quite simple. It’s just a matter of pursuing it, although we sometimes become a bit lazy about it.” Watch the video here.
