Sanaya Irani, Mohit Sehgal's Qabool Hai branded ‘cheap copy’ of Pak drama Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum: ‘Out of ideas?’

Sanaya Irani-Mohit Sehgal's Qabool Hai has sparked plagiarism accusations, with fans accusing the Kuku TV series of copying Pakistani hit Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum.

Indian television stars Sanaya Irani and Mohit Sehgal’s highly anticipated on-screen reunion has run into trouble. Their new vertical micro-drama, Qabool Hai on Kuku TV, is facing plagiarism allegations. Viewers claim the show heavily copies the hit Pakistani drama Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum, which stars Hania Aamir and Fahad Mustafa. This marks the real-life couple's first project together in nine years since Miley Jab Hum Tum, but the excitement has quickly been overshadowed by the controversy as clips circulate online.

Qabool Hai row: Fans accuse Sanaya Irani and Mohit Sehgal's show of copying Hania Aamir's Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum.

Why are viewers calling it a copy?

Several users on X and Instagram are accusing the Indian show Qabool Hai of being a direct copy of the Pakistani hit drama Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum (KMKT). Social media is currently flooded with side-by-side videos comparing identical scenes from both shows.

One user on X wrote: “India is really running out of original content now started copying Pakistani drama storylines too. Qabool Hai is a total copy-paste of Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum: a jobless husband and an ambitious, hardworking wife carrying the household. Money can’t buy creativity!! Chapa factory at its finest!!!”

Another X user said: “Wdym an indian app just took the plot of Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum and made it into a show that is streaming on their platform 😭😭😭 kya beizzati karate ho yaar😭😭😭😭.”

One user asked if Indian makers are running out of ideas. The X user wrote: “I’m not even kidding, this knockoff is so funny. Qubool Hai’s writer was clearly like ‘Out of ideas? Let’s just copy a classic drama plot 💀🤡.”

Viewers claim the similarities go way beyond just a basic plot about an unemployed husband and an ambitious wife. Online reactions point out that the makers have seemingly copied the visual style, emotional beats, and even specific dialogue delivery.

In fact, fans noted that one particular scene featuring Sanaya Irani's character looks exactly like a sequence performed by Hania Aamir in the original show.

About Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum and Qabool Hai

The 2024 Pakistani hit Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum, written by Farhat Ishtiaq, tells the story of Sharjeena (Hania Aamir), an ambitious and practical woman whose life is turned upside down when her fiancé, Adeel, suddenly calls off their wedding. In an attempt to save her family from public humiliation, she ends up marrying Adeel's younger brother, Mustafa (Fahad Mustafa), a carefree, unemployed gamer with little direction in life. The story between the two starts out as marriage born out of circumstance gradually blossoms into a heartfelt love story as the two navigate financial struggles, family expectations and their vastly different personalities.

The drama has now found itself at the centre of a plagiarism debate after viewers pointed out striking similarities with Qabool Hai. Spread across 53 short episodes, the series follows a nearly identical setup: an ambitious and responsible woman enters an unexpected marriage with a jobless, carefree man. Like Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum, the story revolves around the couple dealing with financial challenges, clashing personalities and slowly developing a strong emotional connection.

The team behind Qabool Hai has not addressed the controversy yet. Neither the makers nor lead actors Sanaya Irani and Mohit Sehgal have publicly responded to the plagiarism accusation.