Nach Punjaban rights controversy: Abrar Ul Haq claims song was used in Bollywood without his consent

Few songs have left as deep a cultural impact on Punjabi music and bhangra as Abrar Ul Haq’s iconic hit, “Nach Punjaban

Few songs have left as deep a cultural impact on Punjabi music and bhangra as Abrar Ul Haq’s iconic hit, “Nach Punjaban.” However, the celebrated singer recently revealed that he has been involved in a long-running legal battle over the ownership rights of the song, claiming that they were taken from him and later sold to Bollywood without his consent.

Host Mubashir Hashmi, Abrar Ul Haq stated that he never granted permission for the use of “Nach Punjaban” in Karan Johar’s 2022 Bollywood film *Jugg Jugg Jeeyo*. According to him, neither was he consulted before the song was used nor did he receive any financial benefit from its inclusion in the movie.

The singer explained that a London-based company had asserted ownership over several of his most popular songs, including “Nach Punjaban” and “Billo De Ghar.” He alleged that this claim caused significant difficulties when he attempted to re-record “Billo De Ghar” for Coke Studio, as the company allegedly used copyright claims to have versions of the song removed from YouTube.

Abrar maintained that he never sold the rights to the company. He recalled questioning them about how they had acquired ownership of the songs, only to receive a puzzling response. According to him, representatives of the company suggested he speak to fellow musician Haroon regarding the matter. Abrar said he made it clear that he had not transferred the rights to Haroon either and remained the rightful owner of his music. Despite this, he claimed the company continued to insist that he seek answers elsewhere.

The singer further alleged that the company relied on forged signatures and fabricated legal documents prepared in London to establish ownership of the songs. He described the situation as a serious fraud and pointed out that pursuing legal action in the United Kingdom can be extremely costly and time-consuming. Abrar also suggested that he was not the only artist affected, claiming that several musicians had fallen victim to similar practices.

Discussing the use ofNach Punjaban in Jugg Jugg Jeeyo, Abrar firmly rejected any suggestion that he had approved the song’s inclusion. He argued that the film’s promotional campaign heavily relied on the popularity and recognition of the track, making its unauthorised use particularly unfair. In his view, the song played a major role in attracting audiences and generating attention for the film.

Despite the ongoing dispute, Abrar said he remains committed to reclaiming ownership of the song. He described the legal case as straightforward and expressed confidence in eventually proving his claim. While he acknowledged that he could create a new version of the song with updated lyrics, he stressed that the original composition rightfully belongs to him and should be returned.

The conflict between Abrar Ul Haq and the London-based company Moviebox has been public for several years. In 2022, the disagreement gained attention when both sides exchanged statements on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. While Abrar accused Bollywood filmmakers of using his work without permission, Moviebox maintained that it legally owned the rights and had sold them to Indian music label T-Series. T-Series later confirmed the purchase and stated that appropriate credit would be provided wherever the song was released.