Given Umair Jaswal’s intense, rugged looks, no one would want to fall on the singer’s bad side but Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha seems to have touched a nerve or two. Sonakshi is currently judging Indian Idol Junior where a young contestant Nahid Afrin sang a rendition of Uzair Jaswal’s 2013 hit ‘Tere Bin’. The song was later recreated by Indian composer Amaal Malik for the film Ek Paheli Leela and became an instant success as it hit Indian airwaves.
However, when the time came to praise Nahid for her soulful cover, actress Sonakshi thanked Amaal for the melodious composition, ignoring the contribution of the original composer Uzair. Amaal, too, owned up to the song without giving due credit to Uzair on live television. Clearly, this did not go down well with Uzair’s brother and Coke Studio rockstar Umair, who took to Facebook to remind Sonakshi of the song’s origin.
“I don’t like promoting hate. But this just pissed me off. So here we go. Yes Sonakshi Sinha it’s a beautiful song and a beautiful composition but sadly it does not belong to Amaal Malik. You should be ashamed for taking credit for something that is not yours Amaal. And Indian Idol Junior 2015 a little responsibility would be appreciated by such a huge franchise,” he wrote. “This song belongs to Uzair Jaswal and all credit for its composition goes to Uzair, Yasir Jaswal and our very own Sarmad Ghafoor. So please get your facts straight. This song was huge in Pakistan before it went to India. It was featured on Coke Studio Pakistan three years ago. Just because something went on # 1 on the Indian charts does not mean you can claim it as your own.”
While it’s justified for Umair to stand up for his brother if anybody tries to steal credit, it’s important to note that the reality television clearly mentioned Uzair’s name in the text credits that accompanied the song at the very beginning of it. But while Sonakshi, who may not be well-informed, can get the benefit of doubt, Amaal has no excuse to publicly accept the composition as his own.
