The makers of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, have vehemently denied Producer Vashu Bhagnani’s allegations regarding song ownership, calling them a ‘smear campaign’ ahead of the film’s release.
Key Points
- The Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai team has labelled Vashu Bhagnani’s allegations a ‘smear campaign’ driven by ‘personal vendetta’.
- They assert absolute and lawful ownership of the songs Chunnari Chunnari and Ishq Sona Hai, central to the dispute.
- Bhagnani filed a legal complaint in a Bihar court, which the Hai Jawani team views as suspicious given the distance from Mumbai.
- Bhagnani maintains his fight is for producers’ rights and intellectual property, not just financial gain, and seeks permission or a deal for song usage.
Producer Ramesh Taurani, Tips and the team of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai have broken their silence on the ongoing controversy with Vashu Bhagnani, dismissing his allegations as a ‘smear campaign’ driven by ‘personal vendetta’.
‘Recently, a series of baseless allegations have been made against us by Mr Vashu Bhagnani. It is amply clear to us that this is a smear campaign driven by personal vendetta, intended to derail the release of our film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai,’ the makers stated.
”We are deeply disheartened and disappointed by Mr Bhagnani’s conduct’
‘Our association with Mr. Bhagnani dates back to 1995, when we generously offered him a 50 percent partnership and a producer credit on a project for which we had laid out all the groundwork.
‘Coolie No. 1 went on to become a massive box office hit and gave Mr. Bhagnani a kick-start in the industry. Over the years, we continued to extend our heartfelt support and good wishes to him.
‘It is out of respect for this long-standing relationship that we chose to remain silent until now,’ the statement read.
‘However, Mr. Bhagnani remains determined to spread misinformation via various platforms, including social media. Suspiciously, he has also chosen to file a legal complaint in Kathihar court in Bihar — over 2,000 kms away from Mumbai.
‘He decided to take legal action against all associated with our film rather than engage in direct dialogue,’ the statement added.
‘We are deeply disheartened and disappointed by Mr Bhagnani’s conduct. We urge the public not to pay heed to such targeted negativity. We maintain that we are the absolute and lawful owners of the songs Chunnari Chunnari and Ishq Sona Hai,’ the statement said.
‘How can you shoot the same songs for another producer?’
The controversy centres around allegations made by Vashu Bhagnani regarding the recreation and reuse of songs associated with one of his films without his consent. Bhagnani has repeatedly described the issue as an ethical matter rather than a financial dispute.
At a press conference on Friday, Bhagnani expressed disappointment over filmmaker David Dhawan’s alleged involvement in recreating songs linked to his films for Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, which stars Varun Dhawan.
‘At least he should have come to me and told me what to do, my son is there… How can you shoot the same songs for another producer? There has to be ethics in the industry.’ Bhagnani said.
‘David is my brother. I have had lunch and dinner with him. I gave my life for him. Financially, it is fine, but emotionally, the whole family is broken.”
Court Proceedings and Film Release
Bhagnani alleged that an earlier trailer launch connected to the project had not been cancelled due to a technical issue, but because of concerns related to the ongoing court proceedings.
‘They cancelled because they were aware about the contempt of court. Now they have gone and filed in the Patna court. They knew very clearly that if anything happened, it would be contempt of court. But they made an excuse by calling it a glitch,’ he claimed.
Despite the legal battle, Bhagnani maintained that he is not opposed to the film’s release and remains open to discussions and settlement.
‘Remove my visuals, do a deal with me, or take permission, that’s all I am asking,’ he said. Bhagnani further stated that his battle is focused on protecting producers’ rights and intellectual property within the industry.
‘My fight is not for me. My fight is for the public. It is about justice and ethics,’ he said.
The producer also referred to the court’s interim protection granted to Puja Entertainment in its legal dispute against Tips Music over the alleged unauthorised use of Bollywood intellectual property rights.
According to statements issued through his lawyer, the court’s ‘status quo order applies to all music rights, songs and films mentioned in the suit.
‘I believe they have not gone through the court order carefully. The order clearly states that the entire music rights, songs, and films mentioned in the plaintiff’s suit are covered under the ‘status quo‘ order,’ the lawyer stated.
The legal team further added that all parties involved in the matter may be required to appear before the court and submit replies.
Meanwhile, the Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai trailer was unveiled on Saturday, showcasing a colourful mix of comedy, romance, music and family drama in classic David Dhawan style.
Producer Vashu Bhagnani has rejected the claims of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai Producer Ramesh Taurani, in which he said that the ongoing controversy regarding the song has been allegedly ‘sorted’ during the film trailer launch.
In a self-made video by Vashu Bhagnani, the producer denied claims of any discussion with the producers of the Varun Dhawan starrer Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai regarding the ongoing legal dispute.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
