Badshah recently released his track Genda Phool featuring dancing diva Jacqueline Fernandez is hitting the right chords. Trending on number 3 on across all social media platforms. Rapper Badshah is surely thankful to his fans.

Ever since the day the music was launched, it has been making headlines for both right and wrong reasons. While the audience and listeners loved the track and made it go viral, some accused the song of plagiarism.

Badhshah 's case

The controversy

As per reports, Genda Phool lyrics are copied from a Bengali folk song 'Borlok er Bitilo, lomba lomba chul, lal genda phool 'and is written by Bengali folk songwriter, Ratan Kahar.

If the reports are to be believed, Badshah didn't credit the lyricist of the Bengali folk songwriter.

It so happened that as soon as the song was out people started criticizing Badshah for plagiarising someone's hard work and the poor writer has no money to sue the popular rapper. Twitteria shared Ratan's work and original video and started drawing comparisons between the two.

To clarify his stance, Badhshah on Instagram clarified his point and captioned the note as 'Please read'

On why he took Ratan's song and not credit him

We had however done our due diligence before releasing the song, and nowhere on any copyright societies or on any of the previous reprises/versions of the song was MR Ratan Kahar credited as lyricist. Information all across say that 'Boro Loker Beti Lo' is a traditional/folk song from the Bauls of Bengal. Just for general information, traditional songs are open for recreations, reprises, sampling globally.

Badshah on trying to reach out to Ratan 

The lockdown situation has not been very helpful, it has been difficult to get through to the village that Shri Kahar is in and I am still trying. I urge and request any of the representatives who have been speaking on his behalf, to help me connect with him so I can do whatever possible on my part on humanitarian grounds to put this right.

After netizens slammed Badshah for blatantly lifting someone else's work and calling it his own, the rapper held an Instagram live, where he said, "Ratan Kahar sa'ab. I want to help you in whatever way I can."

Badshah also urged his fans to get him in touch with Ratan Kahar.

Who is Ratan Kahar?

Ratan Kahar, who is in his 70s and hails from Birbhum in West Bengal, claimed that he wrote the song but never got any recognition for it. His song has been recreated in the past as well.

Ratan Kahar, who lives in grim poverty, spoke to a Bengali website and said that he does not even have money to drag the matter to court.

On the Bengali song lyrics

I wrote the song Boroloker Bitilo. The music, the words, everything is mine. Now, if people are dishonest, what can I do? I am extremely poor. Many people have taken my songs, but have not given me credit. They can't write their own songs. They used my songs as their own. I live in a hut. I write songs of the soil. I don't have the financial strength to drag them to court. Those singing the song don't understand its spirit and ruin its earthiness

How he got to know about Badshah's song

I first got to after a theatre personality showed me the video and I was aghast. Will these things continue?

Lastly, there are two sets of people some re against Badshah while some are for, the minute Badshah clarified his stance, some of his ardent fans came out in support of the rapper. In fact, Varun Dhawan too supported Badsshah and honored his work. Check out Varun Dhawan's comment on Badshah's clarification note:

Badshah and Varun Dhawan
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