Pakistani singer Abrar Ul Haq has been in a long-running legal battle over his famous 2002 song Nach Punjaban, which was used in the Bollywood film JugJugg Jeeyo without his consent.
The controversy began in May 2022 when the trailer for JugJugg Jeeyo, produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, was released, featuring the familiar tune of Nach Punjaban. Abrar quickly spoke out, stating that he had not sold his song to any Indian movie and reserved the right to go to court to claim damages.
The situation became more complicated when record label Moviebox claimed that the song had been officially licensed for the film and that Karan Johar and Dharma Productions had the legal rights to use it. Abrar, however, rejected this claim and demanded that a proper legal agreement be produced.
The singer did not back down. His lawyers in the UK issued a formal legal notice to Moviebox Records for the misappropriation of his song. Even receiving a credit in the film did not satisfy him, as he stressed that giving him credits is not the same as legally acquiring the rights to the song.
In a later interview, Abrar revealed that he had filed cases in the UK and Pakistan, and was also preparing to take the matter to court in India. The case remains unresolved, and Abrar continues to fight for what he calls justice for Pakistani artists whose music is regularly used without proper permission.
