HImesh a Copy cat?

By Subhash K Jha

In London for his concerts Himesh Reshammiya is aghast about producer Boney Kapoor's accusation that the rights of the song Tanhaiyaan that Himesh is using for the promo of his film Aap Ka Suroor are with the producer.

Himesh reacts sharply. "Why do I have to wake up almost every day with fingers pointing at me for one reason or another? I respect Boneyji a lot. I've composed nine songs for his Shahid Kapoor-Kareena starrer Milenge Milenge. But Tanhaiyaan is not one of them."

The composer-singer riding the crest of success with his Wembley concerts is miffed with the constant accusations that are hurled at him.

"Just throwing my name into any controversy isn't right. I'm doing my first film as a hero, and it's going to be bigger than anything ever done before. Maybe that's unacceptable to some people. But it's nothing I can reverse just to please others."

He reverts to the Tanhaiyaan controversy. "It is hundred percent my song. It's composed and sung by me , and the cost of the recording was also borne by me! Since I was doing Boneyji's Milenge Milenge I made him hear Tanhaiyaan at one of the sittings. He loved the tune. But it couldn't fit into Milenge Milenge since all the songs had already been recorded. So where's the question of it being Boneyji's property?"

Himesh continues, "I've been trying to get in touch with Boneyji for seven months. Since there was no progress with the film I decided to use the song in my own film. Where's the problem in that?

I respect Boneyji and don't want to hurt his sentiments. But the question of the rights of the song being with him or anyone else just doesn't arise."