Indian music director and singer Anwar Sardar Malik, best known by the stage name Anu Malik, is recently under fire on social media platforms for copying Israel's national anthem and composing a Bollywood song ‘Mera Mulk Mera Desh’ for the movie 1996 film ‘Diljale.’ Indian audience realized it recently when Ukrainian-born Israeli artistic gymnast Artem Dolgopyat won a Gold Medal in the Tokyo Olympics and Israel's national anthem was played during his medal receiving ceremony.
Indian netizens quickly took to Twitter and started trolling Malik for his copying skills.
One Twitter user wrote: "Anu Malik copying the national anthem of a country to make a Bollywood song is so Anu Malik!"
And the floodgates of memes and trolls opened up.
The Bollywood veteran, with an Indian National Film Award for Best Music Direction and 40-year-long industry experience, had been accused of copying other musicians' work several times before.
He has been called out for copying the music of Wham!'s song ‘Last Christmas’ for his 1995 track ‘Dil Mera Churaya Kyun,’ the tune of Linear's Sending ‘All My Love’ for ‘Neend Churayi Meri’ from the film ‘Ishq.’ And the music of Toto Cutugno's ‘L'Italiano’ for the song ‘Nasha Ye Pyar Ka Nasha.’