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CG.com Copy Cat Crown (Part 8)

APK | January 31, 2008

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Charmme in Mantra

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! If the laws on plagiarism were strict, then several (maybe all) composers would have to hear this statement. Copycats copying just one stanza or just one part of an original composition to those copying the entire song and even topping the Telugu charts are ever-present.

The Black Eyed Peas hit gold with numbers like Where Is The Love, Elephunk and My Humps. But whatever merits fame has, plagiarism is not one of them, even though people say imitation is the best form of flattery. Unfortunately, when debutant composer Anand copied My Humps by the group chord to chord, either they haven't heard it, figured out they can't sue him if they heard it or were just dejected at how Maha Maha in Mantra became so popular whereas My Humps seems to be relatively unknown here. Imagine if your benchmate copies your answer, gets first rank and you are just promoted. Life's like that.

But if you hear My Humps, then Maha Maha, you will see the only difference is the Telugu lyrics. Thank God. For it's a copy, that's bad, but at least it's a good copy of a good and peppy number. RD Burman would by now be turning in his grave after hearing RP Patnaik's Babooji Natho Rara, a loud and brazen copy of Piya Tu Ab To Aaja, one of his golden hits. Speaking of RP Patnaik, a lot of music lovers are of the opinion that he copies his own numbers. Before you rubbish the claim, listen to Okarikokaru from Swagatham which sounds a lot like Naa Gundelo from Nuvvu Nenu.

Amongst other copies within the country's borders, Nee Sukhame Ne Korutunna, which is due for release, has a song Ammaye Puttindamma that's damages the beautiful Laxmikant-Pyarelal song Ramayya Vastavayya (Shree 420) to the core. A straight and a bad lift, it'll a wonder that Raj Kapoor doesn't haunt composer Madhavapeddi Suresh in his dreams. Suresh who? The composer for the fantasy hit flick Bhairava Dweepam.

After international and national copies, it is the time for local copies. Just a little instrumental piece like that in O Maguva in Mr. Medhavi by Chakri that sounds like Yeh Haseen Wadiyan from AR Rehman's composition in Roja is forgiven with a large heart.

Oh come on, that's not copying, that's just inspiration; that's a tribute to the original. But when Chakri copied Appadi Podu (from Gilli, the superhit Tamil remake of Okkadu starring Trisha-Vijay) as Adaragottu Kottu Kottu in Krishna, the southie music fans shook their heads. Not happening. The high energy number that topped the charts for the longest time was made into a boring wannabe-energetic number that failed to impress. A bad copy of a popular song, this was sheer disappointing.

Of course, Chakri earlier took numbers like Mika's Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag and made it a hummable and mischievous Choopulto Guchi Guchi in Idiot. For his credit, Mika's name is mentioned in the 'Thank You' list before the movie and due credit is given to the original composer.

Meera Chopra and Vinay in Vaana

MS Raju's magnum opus Vaana, however disappointing it was, had music that was quite nice albeit a little too mellow for some people's liking. The remake of the Kannada superhit Mungaru Male had the obvious Kannadiga influence in the music. It even had a copy of Kurisindi Vaana, the B&W number from the movie Bullemma Bullodu titled Sirimalle Vaana. Courtesy composer Kamalakar. Lakshyam has a sort of remix (without the annoying techno beats) of Niluvave, the evergreen Ghantasala number courtesy Mani Sharma.

Going a little back in time, Attili Sattibabu LKG had a bad copy of a good song. Debutant music director Sri Krishna copied Sean Paul's Get Busy to give Shake Byke. No more to be said, for just one time hearing of the copy is enough for hardcore hip-hop fans to scratch the CD till it stops working.

The CG Copycat series just goes on and on, not just with popular demand but also due to the supply of incessant copycats in our movie industry. Songs, scenes and stories are borrowed liberally and that's one trend never stops.

PS: Rohit Shetty's recent release Sunday starring Ajay Devgan and Ayesha Takia (a remake of Anukokunda Oka Roju) has a little instrumental bit in it's title track lifted from Justin Timberlake's What Goes Around Comes Around. The borrower? Sandeep Chowta.