Kanika Kapoor on plagiarism accusation by Pak singer: Really unfair for anybody to say that I stole their work

Singer Kanika Kapoor’s latest song, Buhe Bariyan, has stirred a plagiarism controversy with Pakistani singer Hadiqa Kiani claiming it to be a rip off of her song, Boohey Barian. Now, Kapoor has come forward to share her side of the story, stressing that it is an original composition.

“Anyone who goes and listens to the song will know that it is an original song, from antras to everything. We have just used the hook line of an old folk song. According to me and the label, it is a folk song,” Kapoor tells us.

She continues, “There are many versions of the song that we have heard online, and nobody has ever said anything about it”.

It all started when Kiani went on a tirade on Instagram, stating, “I own all rights to Boohey Barian and all songs on my album Roshni. My mother wrote the poetry”, going on to call it a “shameless rendition” and “easy money making scheme”. She even vowed to go legal with the fight.

Kapoor says her song is “completely original”, adding, “We have not copy-pasted any old folk song. We used two lines as inspiration. It is very unfair to the writer Kunwar Juneja and Shruti Rane who composed this new song. Also, it is unfair to me if anybody says that I am trying to steal someone’s work”.

Ever since the claims surfaced, Kapoor has been getting hate messages and threats, and she is upset about how things have turned out to be nasty.

“It makes me sad that they think we stole their song, or are not giving them the right credit. But I think, instead of going negative, we have to come together and help each other to grow. I have nothing against anyone who is saying anything negative or nasty. I have received a lot of nasty messages. It is sad to see people jump to conclusions without really knowing something,” says the singer, popular for songs such as Jugni Ji, Baby Doll, Kamlee, Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan and Beat Pe Booty.

When it comes to the copyright of the folk number, she asserts that it is a blurry zone.

“I am not a legal person. I have no way of finding out who owns the song. I know that many versions of the song have been used for the past 15 years. To be honest, nobody knows who has made the song. There is no paperwork,” she says, adding, “I don’t know why they are seeing it today? Why didn’t they say anything when the recreations came out?” the 43-year-old wonders.

However, she extends her apology if the song hurt anyone in any way.

“Nobody has done anything intentionally. We all are credible people. There has not been any intent of fleecing any videos or stealing anybody’s work. I feel very sorry that somebody this way about all of us. We are sorry if we upset anybody’s emotions,” Kapoor wraps up, adding that she has huge respect for “Pakistani singers and music”.

We also reached out to the song label which maintained a “no comment” stance, while Kiani has not responded to our query yet.