Ek aur gaana utha liya: Salman leaves Varun red-faced with Chunari Chunari joke

Salman Khan jokingly remarked that Varun Dhawan had "picked up" another one of his songs, referring to Chunari Chunari being recreated for the upcoming film Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai.

In Short

• Salman Khan joked that Varun Dhawan had 'picked up another one' of his songs
• Varun appeared embarrassed and asked Salman to stop during the event
• Vashu Bhagnani said the song was reused without his consent

Salman Khan briefly turned the spotlight on the Chunari Chunari remake row when he joked with Varun Dhawan at the launch event for David Dhawan's film festival. Referring to the recreated version of the song in Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, Salman said Varun had 'picked up another one' of his songs, drawing laughter at the venue.

The track Chunari Chunari is from Salman's 1999 film Biwi No 1, which also featured Sushmita Sen.

Varun appeared embarrassed and quickly asked Salman to stop, but the exchange came amid a wider controversy over the song's reuse. The joke came amid row over the song after producer Vashu Bhagnani said the track from his film was used without his consent.

Salman's joke at the event

The moment unfolded as Salman interacted with the media and posed for photographers at the event. His remark about Varun reusing another one of his songs was a reference to the recreated Chunari Chunari.

Why the remake has drawn criticism

The recreated track has drawn criticism from Vashu Bhagnani, who said he was disappointed that the song had been reused without anyone seeking his consent. Speaking during a virtual press conference, Bhagnani said someone from the team should have approached him directly, especially because his son is part of the film. He also questioned the ethics of recreating the same song for another producer without proper communication.

Bhagnani also spoke about his long relationship with David Dhawan, whom he described as family, and said the matter had upset him emotionally even though it was not a financial concern. He further alleged that an earlier trailer launch event was not postponed because of technical issues, but because of concerns related to the ongoing legal dispute.

Abhijeet Bhattacharya's response

Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya also reacted to the controversy and said neither the music composer nor the film's director had informed him about the recreation of the song. He added that nobody had the courage to tell him directly that the track was being remade.

About the film

Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is described as an entertainer centred on romance, misunderstandings and comic chaos within a family setup. Apart from Varun Dhawan, the film also stars Pooja Hegde, Mrunal Thakur, Jimmy Shergill, Chunky Panday, Mouni Roy, Ali Asgar and Rakesh Bedi in key roles. It has been produced by Ramesh Taurani under Tips Films, with Gaurav Bose of Maximilian Films serving as co-producer.

The film will release in theatres on June 5.

- Ends