Abhijeet Bhattacharya criticizes Dua Lipa’s ‘Woh ladki jo’ mashup performance

Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya has expressed mixed feelings about international pop sensation Dua Lipa’s recent performance in Mumbai, where she sang to the viral Levitating x Woh Ladki Jo mashup. The mashup, originally crafted by DJ Ruchir Kulkarni, became an internet sensation for blending the iconic Bollywood song with Dua’s global hit. While fans celebrated the nod to Bollywood, Abhijeet called out Dua for not crediting the creators of the original song.

In an interview with News18, Abhijeet emphasized that the song, composed by Anu Malik for the 1999 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Baadshah, is one of Malik’s finest works. He stated, “Dua Lipa should’ve credited Anu Malik, Javed Akhtar, and myself. She also creates songs and should understand the value of acknowledging creators.”

While Abhijeet seemed miffed over the lack of credit, he also claimed indifference towards Dua Lipa’s popularity. “To be very frank, I don’t care who is Dua Lipa. But when she performed it, I was flooded with calls. The song was popular before her performance and remains popular today.”

Adding to the discourse, Abhijeet’s son, Jay Bhattacharya, shared his disappointment on Instagram, criticizing media outlets for focusing only on actors while ignoring the singers and composers behind Bollywood hits. “Why is it always about actors in this country? Dua must have appreciated the voice behind the song, not just the actors,” his post read.

Despite his comments, Abhijeet later posted his own version of Dua’s performance on Instagram, blending clips from her Mumbai concert with his own live performance of Woh Ladki Jo. This move seemed to hint at his pride in the song’s enduring appeal.

Fans of both Dua Lipa and Shah Rukh Khan have kept the discussion alive online. The incident also sparked debates on crediting artists and recognizing contributions in collaborative and reinterpretative works.