If you are South Indian and have heard the song Aa Re Pritam Pyaare from the much-talked about film Rowdy Rathore, don’t be surprised if you feel like you know it already. The song, after all, has been quite largely lifted — at least the refrain for sure — from the Vidyasagar original Vaadi Vaadi Naatu Kattai, first heard in 2001 Tamil film, Alli Thanda Vaanam.
Rowdy Rathore might be getting all the right publicity, especially as the film sells out and completely Bollywood-ises a male psyche that has often been associated as a mainstay with South Indian cinema. As Akshay Kumar belts out his "Don’t Angry Me," we know, you already know, it sounds like the perfect crowd-puller. Another Why this Kolaveri… anyone?
The North is lapping up all things South like never before and while we are quite excited about the trend, we’re wondering, purely out of inquisitiveness — why Sajid-Wajid have conveniently forgotten to credit South-composer Vidyasagar for the song Aa Re Pritam Pyaare.
“I can’t believe they haven’t even bothered to let me know that they were lifting my tune. Let alone asking for permission or giving me credit — they haven’t even contacted me,” fumes Vidyasagar, the music director who composed the original.
What makes this whole credit confusion even funnier is that Prabhu Deva, the director of Rowdy Rathore, ironically was the hero of the Tamil film. Alli Thanda Vaanam continues to be considered one of Prabhu Deva’s biggest hits and the 2001 film, featured Shabana Raza (then Neha Bajpai), as the female lead opposite him.
Does Prabhu Deva consider the song to be his, since he popularised it? Or do Sajid-Wajid assume they can get away with lifting a song without due credit?
The only thing that can be said, and no one can refute this, is that irrespective of what Sajid-Wajid might have to say, copying a song or being inspired by one, is something that the world needs to know. In this day and age, one cannot get away with such carelessness.
Monkey hear, monkey copy?
This however is not the first time a South Indian track has been copied into a Bollywood film without credits. Much earlier in 1992, composer duo Anand-Milind lifted a popular Kannada hit from a 1974 Dr Rajkumar Kannada film, Eradu Kanasu. The song Bin Tere Kuch from Jaan Se Pyaara was a direct lift from the song Endendu Ninnanu.
Or the fact that more recently, Anand Raaj Anand lifted the song Ethu Sugam, Sugam Athu from the 1994 Tamil film Vandicholai Chinnaraasu for his track Aaja Meri Baahon Mein for the 2002 release, Pyaar Kiya Nahin Jaata. The list goes on…
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