Singer Kanika Kapoor’s new song, Buhe Bariya, got her into hot water recently when Pakistani singer Hadiqa Kiani accused her of stealing her melody. Kiani claimed via a social media post that Boohey Barian was her original creation, with poetry written by her mum. Kiani also said it was a “shameless rendition” and an “easy money-making scheme”, and even vowed to go legal with the fight.

Now, Kapoor has come forward to share her side of the story, stressing that it is an “original composition”. She tells us, “Anyone who listens to the song (Buhe Bariya) will know that it is an original song, from antaras 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. There are many versions of the [folk] song online, and nobody has ever said anything about it.” 

She goes on, “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 really unfair for anybody to say that I stole their work.”

The 43-year-old, however, extends her apology if the row has hurt anyone in any way. She says, “Nobody has done anything intentionally. We are all credible people. There has not been any intent of fleecing any videos or stealing anybody’s work. I feel very sorry that somebody feels this way about all of us. We are sorry if we upset anybody’s emotions.” The Baby Doll (Ragini MMS 2, 2014) singer also adds that she has huge respect for “Pakistani singers and music”.

When it comes to the copyright of the folk number, she asserts that it is a blurry zone. She says, “To be honest, nobody knows who made the song. There is no paperwork.”

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

Singer Kanika Kapoor’s latest single Buhe Bariyan has found itself embroiled in a plagiarism controversy. On Thursday, Pakistani singer Hadiqa Kiani shared on her Instagram Stories that the ballad was originally sung by her and penned by her mother, poet Khawar Kiani.

“Another day and another shameless rendition of the song my mother wrote. No one asked for my permission, no one has given me royalties, they just take the song that my mother wrote and I recorded and use it as an easy money making scheme,” Kiani wrote.

She further alleged that the song from her 1998 album Roshni was also used in Hindi films. “So far, it’s been stolen to be used in multiple Bollywood films starring the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. It’s been stolen by every other singer who sings on stage while earning. And of course, by many singers who produce full music videos, some of these cover videos have received almost 200 million views on YouTube. The latter gives me “credit” by saying “original song: boohey barian by hadiqa kiani” (sic),” Kiani added.

Referring to this episode as the “thieft of Pakistani music continues”, the singer said that she has nothing personal against Kapoor. “Almost every time I have covered a song, I have bought rights to the song, asked permission of the artist or paid royalties to the artist because that’s the ethical way to do things… I have nothing against this singer and the other singers who have sang my songs. I’m just upset with the way that they all seem to go about the process,” she shared.