Music composer Pritam has responded to the plagiarism allegations surrounding Mashooqa, the recently released song from Cocktail 2. The track sparked debate online after several social media users claimed its tune closely resembled the 1993 Italian song Se So Arrubate A Nonna. The discussion also led some users to revisit past plagiarism accusations linked to the composer.
Addressing the criticism on Instagram Stories, Pritam strongly denied the claims and took a dig at those making comparisons. He wrote, “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’. Same people, same ‘inspired by’ thesis.. Boss, at this point, you are my unpaid PR team..I just want to say guys, NOT NICE.”
The controversy began after a Reddit user shared comparison clips of Mashooqa and Se So Arrubate A Nonna, pointing out similarities between the two songs. The post quickly gained traction, with several social media users claiming the tracks sounded almost identical. Comments ranged from criticism of the song itself to fresh debates over originality, inspiration, and sampling in Bollywood music.
Mashooqa has been composed by Pritam, with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya and vocals by Raghav Chaitanya and Mahmood Ruaa Kayy, who also wrote and performed the Italian portions. The song features Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon’s characters falling in love while travelling together. Directed by Homi Adajania, Cocktail 2 is a spiritual sequel to the 2012 film Cocktail and is set to release in theatres on June 19.
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