Moushumi Bhowmik rejects tune-theft claim over Shah Rukh's 'King' song, says she sees no shadow of her own song in it

The newly released song 'Tu Mil Jaye' from Shah Rukh Khan's film 'King' has been embraced by fans but cornered by critics. Now the song faces an allegation that its tune was taken from West Bengal singer Moushumi Bhowmik's song 'Ami Shunechi Sedin Tumi'.

A report in Indian media said the allegation was raised by a fan of Moushumi. He also posted about the alleged tune theft on social media and tagged the singer.

In reply to that fan's tagged post, however, Moushumi Bhowmik said that while she respects the listener's way of hearing, she did not see any shadow of her own in this song.

Moushumi Bhowmik wrote: 'You must have tagged me because you wanted to let me know. I had not heard this song before; I listened because you told me. But I did not feel it the way you did. Look, all of us play with the same notes again and again, permutations and combinations of the same notes. A shadow of my song in this song — I did not really feel that.'

Without taking pride in her own creation as something 'infallible or unprecedented', the singer pointed to the connection of her song with the tune tradition of Bengali folk music and panchali.

She added: 'Besides, I have not created anything so infallible; not a musical phrase so unprecedented that no one has ever done such a thing before. This combination of notes can be heard in our panchali. If you analyse how 'Shunechi Sedin' begins, you will see a panchali musical phrase. But my song does not stay stuck there; from that seed it grows into a tree. I did not consciously think of panchali, but surely my tune was born from what was inside my listening.'

Moushumi also recalled an experience from her own musical life about the influence of atmosphere and shadow. She said a friend once, on hearing her song, reminded her of Joan Baez, although she had not made the song thinking of that.

She said: 'Do you know what it really is? We all carry shadows. Knowingly or unknowingly. Me too. You too. We see the shadow of what we know, whom we know, in another's face. There is no mistake in your seeing or hearing, but that does not at all mean this song has any relation to my song. And even if it did, what would it matter? If someone truly copies something exactly from someone and passes it off as their own, then one should certainly think about it; otherwise, do not think this way.'