Dua Lipa Mumbai concert: Abhijeet Bhattacharya responds to Levitating X Woh Ladki Jo mashup credit controversy

What controversy? For Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Levitating X Woh Ladki Jo mashup's “biggest plus point” is that it features Shah Rukh Khan.

On Saturday, Dua Lipa took the stage in the heart of Mumbai as part of her Radical Optimism Tour. The global pop sensation treated fans to an electrifying two-hour performance at the MMRDA Grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). One of the standout moments of the concert was when Dua performed on the viral Levitating x Woh Ladki Jo mashup, originally created by DJ Ruchir Kulkarni. The crowd erupted in excitement as Dua and her background dancers incorporated some desi moves into the performance. Videos of her surprise dance went viral, sending Shah Rukh Khan fans into a frenzy.

Abhijeet Bhattacharya (left) Dua Lipa (right)

However, a controversy erupted online among netizens: Who should be credited for the song, Shah Rukh Khan or singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, who lent his voice to the track.

We recently reached out to Abhijeet, who while weighing in on the controversy, tells us that it is uncalled for, adding that people creating it are like ‘mosquitoes’. “Yeh beech mein machhar hain, na lena na dena. Unke liye agar koi neta jeet jaata hai, toh ek pedha khaa kar khush ho jaate hain, road pe naachte hain,” he says, adding, “Dua was made to understand that this song is Shah Rukh’s. Usne socha hoga jaise voh (singer) hai vaise hi Shah Rukh hai. Jaise Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, vaise SRK hai. Nobody told her Shah Rukh is a superstar like Sylvester Stallone (actor) He has not sung the song, it’s Mr Abhijeet Bhattacharya. Uski galti nahi hai.”

He further says that the “war” for credit is between “three icons”- SRK, Dua and him. “The moment the song started playing at her concert, my phone was flooded with calls from worldwide. They said ‘aapka gaana’. Maine kab bola ki ‘bolo yeh mera gaana hai’? Credit lene ki zaroorat nahi hai, kya karenge credit leke ab? Baadshah (1999) was not even a hit when it released, only the music was. Even the song was not as popular then as it is now, after the mashup by Ruchir which went viral four years ago,” notes the 66-year-old.

In fact, for Bhattacharya, the song’s “biggest plus point” is that it features Shah Rukh Khan. “Mera aur SRK ka koi problem nahi hai. Gaana baja toh logon ne mujhe suna, seedhi si baat hai. I am sure he also must be amused with whatever is happening,” he says.

Abhijeet’s son Jay’s viral Insta story

Unhappy with his father not being given due credit, Abhijeet’s son, Jay, had taken to Instagram on Sunday where he wrote in a story: “The problem is that no one talks about it. What happened to- Woh Ladki Jo- Abhijeet? Unfortunately we live in a country where not one news outlet or Instagram page has mentioned the voice and the artists of this song. Why has it always been about actors in this country? I’m sure when @dualipa heard this song she must have heard it and not seen it and not appreciated the man that has sung this song and yes it is not SRK.”

On that Abhijeet remarks, “On that he can never imagine that this is not his father's song. For example, Khai Ke Paan Banaras Wala in Don (1978) is singer Kishore Kumar's song, but Amitabh Bachchan fans will say it is his song.”