Pritam reacts to allegations of ‘copying’ Cocktail 2 song Mashooqa from Italian song: At this point, you're my unpaid PR

Music composer Pritam has criticised those accusing his latest song Mashooqa of plagiarism, claiming they are self-appointed music detectives.

Published on: May 21, 2026, 08:35:57 IST

By Rishabh Suri

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Music composer Pritam's latest song has been accused of plagiarism ever since it dropped recently. Titled Mashuqa and featured in the upcoming film Cocktail 2, social media found it to be similar to the 1993 Italian song Se So Arrubate A Nonna.

Pritam has composed the music for Cocktail 2.

But now, the composer has reacted to it all, and he is not happy. He took to Instagram Stories on late Wednesday night, and expressed his anguish at his work coming under the radar always.

“Every single of my song release comes with set of self-appointed music detectives, who have created a new genre called ‘imaginary similarities’. Same people, same 'inspired by' thesis. Boss, at this point you are my unpaid PR team. I just want to say guys NOT NICE,” he wrote.

The National Award-winning music composer has, in the early years of his career, faced allegations of ‘inspiration’ as well.

MASHOOQA BY PRITAM COPIED FROM SE SO ARRUBATA (1993)
by u/Main-hoon-don in BollyBlindsNGossip

Pritam has been the man behind successful music albums for films such as Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), Barfi! (2012), Brahmastra (2022), Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), among several others. His latest, Cocktail 2 stars Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna, and is a spiritual sequel to the 2012 hit Cocktail.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rishabh Suri
Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More

Home/Htcity/Cinema/Pritam Reacts To Allegations Of ‘copying’ Cocktail 2 Song Mashooqa From Italian Song: At This Point, You're My Unpaid PR