Blackpink’s Jennie, the K-pop star, is under fire for plagiarism following complaints from fans that her latest song Like Jennie bears uncanny resemblance to the Rani Theme of Bollywood’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The opening song, written by Pritam, was Alia Bhatt’s entrance theme in the film. Social media users were quick to notice the similarity, which led to an online debate.
Bollywood and K-pop fans have been polarized by the drama. While some people contend that the beats and chants in Like Jennie are suspiciously similar to Bhatt’s intro music, others think the accusations are unfounded. “Shocking to witness a K-pop celebrity accused of plagiarism from Bollywood,” a user posted on X (formerly Twitter). Jennie’s fans have also rallied around her, proposing that the similarity could be a coincidence.
Interestingly, Pritam, who is the supposed original composer of the song in question, himself has a history of plagiarism claims against him. It is ironical that a song from his repertoire is being used in the context of plagiarism now. The scandal has also reopened debates over originality within the international music industry, where influences tend to make boundaries between inspiration and copycatting a little fuzzy.
So far, neither Jennie nor her agency, YG Entertainment, has replied to the claims. With the song still unreleased, fans are waiting for more news to determine if the similarity is just coincidence or artistic borrowing.
