Rapper KRSNA sends a legal notice to IPL 2020 makers for plagiarising their anthem from his 2017 track 'Dekh Kaun Aaya Waapas'

By Rashita Sahni

on September 11, 2020

Delhi-based rapper KRSNA has accused Indian Premier League (IPL) of plagiarising a rap number of his to create the anthem for the 2020 edition of the cricketing tournament. This year's IPL anthem is Aayenge Hum Wapas, which has been composed By Pranav Ajayrao Malpe. Rapper KR$NA has claimed that they have plagiarised his 2017 track, Dekh Kaun Aaya Waapas.

Talking to a leading daily about the same, KRSNA told "A lot of my listeners saw the resemblance between the two songs and tagged me. I was taken aback, because it wasn't expected from [companies] like IPL and Hotstar." KRSNA was particularly perturbed, given that he collaborated with Disney+Hotstar for a track, only four months ago. "We have sent a legal notice [to Disney+Hotstar] two days ago; they haven't directly addressed it yet. We are taking this forward, because, if we don't, it will set a dangerous precedent. Anyone who hears the two tracks can see that they are similar."

My song “Dekh Kaun Aaya Wapas” has been plagiarised by @DisneyPlusHS @Hotstarusa to make this years @IPL anthem “Aayenge Hum Wapas” without my consent or credit. #iplanthemcopied For context, here is a comparison video: https://t.co/FUDf2Xse4Q pic.twitter.com/tHZveSGOec

— KR$NA (@realkrsna) September 9, 2020

A clearance certificate issued by the Music Composers Association of India (MCAI's) draws parallels between the track, and appears to take away from his argument. In an e-mail interaction, MCAI general secretary Aashish Rego said, "The MCAI was approached by the producer of the film to provide a comparative analysis report, which we did by sending the tracks to a panel of four reputed composers. They cited that, melodically, harmonically and rhythmically, [there] were no substantial similarities between the two. At no point did the MCAI state that "all hip-hop tracks are the same". That has been misquoted. KRSNA has failed to provide proof of "substantial similarity", as defined by the Copyright Act, and has jumped the gun in claiming plagiarism, where none exists."

KR$NA, who is known for his brand of socio-political rap in Hindi, feels allowing incidents like "these to be overlooked without repercussions sets a dangerous precedent".

(Source: Mid Day)