Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu, and Rasika Duggal starrer Mirzapur: The Movie, released in theaters this Friday. The film received good reviews; however, it seems to have landed in controversy over unauthroized used of the song “Shoorveer”. Rajasthan-based artist Rapperiya Baalam has accused the makers of plagiarism. Taking to social media, the artist has accused that his song “Shoorveer”, which was dedicated to Maharana Pratap, has been used in one of the film’s scenes featuring gangsters without his consent; he has also not been credited for it.

Rapper Baalam accuses Mirzapur makers of plagiarism

Taking to Instagram, Rapperiya Baalam said in a video, “Today, my heart is broken. Some of you may ask why my heart is broken. You might say I should be happy because my song is in Mirzapur. But the Mirzapur team did not take my permission to use my song. Who permitted them? I certainly did not. This song is dedicated to Maharana Pratap ji. We are using this song to glorify the villains in the movie. Is this right? If the Mirzapur team had approached me and said, ‘Rapperiya bhai, we want to use your song,’ we would have given them 10 ideas. But taking the song without permission is not right. I don’t know who gave you these rights or from whom you obtained them. Whoever gave you the rights, I would like you to ask them: Do you have any copyright?”

 

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A post shared by Rapperiya Baalam (@rapperiya_baalam) 

He further added, “Why wouldn’t it hurt? This is an insult to Rajasthan. It is an insult to Maharana Pratap ji, and we will not be able to tolerate this. Being the composer and singer of the song, and seeing millions of people listening to it, of course, your enthusiasm brings a lot of messages. Thousands of messages have come to me in DMs saying, ‘Brother, your song is in Mirzapur.’ But, Mirzapur team, you should have done this properly. You should have spoken to me. Anyway, whatever action needs to be taken will continue.”

Mirzapur team faces backlash

After Rapperiya Baalam expressed his disappointment, another page dedicated to Rajasthani folk music also went on to slam the makers of Mirzapur. They wrote on Instagram, “It is disheartening to see the song Shoorveer, a sacred tribute to the legendary Veer Shiromani Maharana Pratap Singh Ji Mewar, being misused in the Mirzapur movie to glorify fictional gangsters. History is meant to be respected, not mixed with crime dramas for cheap entertainment value. As a Rajasthani, I want to say, please do not mock the sacrifices of our heroes. Stop misrepresenting Rajasthani culture.”

 

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A post shared by FOLK 🇮🇳 (@folkmusicofrajasthan) 

Another content creator also supported the artist and said, “Is this really how we should portray our history and our heroes? The song Shoorveer by Rapperiya Baalam, dedicated to the legendary Maharana Pratap Ji, has reportedly been used in the climax of Mirzapur over scenes of gangster violence, shootouts, and conflict. Maharana Pratap Ji stood for courage, sacrifice, self-respect, and devotion to his motherland. His legacy deserves to be represented with dignity and sensitivity. What makes this matter even more serious is Rapperiya Baalam’s claim that the song was used without obtaining the required rights/permission from him. This is a serious allegation that deserves to be heard and addressed. I urge the makers of Mirzapur and Excel Entertainment to please take this matter seriously and speak directly with Rapperiya Baalam to address his concerns. This is not about attacking a film or Bollywood. It is about respecting our history, our artists, and our national heroes. What do you think? Was Shoorveer appropriate for this scene?”

 

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The makers of Mirzapur are yet to react to these accusations. Mirzapur: The Movie is directed by Gurmeet Singh and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under the banner of Excel Entertainment.