MUMBAI: K-pop superstar Jennie, known for her association with BLACKPINK, is all set to release her latest song Like Jennie this Friday. A 9-second teaser for the track dropped on social media this Tuesday, instantly sparking excitement among her fans. However, while many praised the teaser’s thumping beats and catchy vocals, Indian listeners couldn’t help but notice a striking similarity between the song’s instrumental and Rani’s Theme from Karan Johar’s 2023 Bollywood hit Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.

The Copy Controversy

The teaser for Like Jennie features a pulsating rhythm with repeated vocal chants of “Jennie,” a flow that closely resembles Rani’s Theme, originally composed by Bollywood music director Pritam. The uncanny similarity led to heated discussions online, with some fans accusing Jennie of plagiarism.

#BLACKPINK's Jennie copied the song 'Rani Anthem' from the movie 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani', which has Indian artist Pritam's credits, in a way that sounds no different. pic.twitter.com/lwtiCS2O7m

— K-Pop Base (@kpopbaseee) March 4, 2025

A social media user reacted to the teaser by posting Rani’s Theme alongside it, commenting, “The copy-paste (crying emoji), she’s shameless.” Another wrote, “This is the same song, even the vocals are similar.” The controversy deepened as more fans pointed out the irony of Pritam—who has himself been accused of lifting melodies in the past—now seemingly having his own work imitated.

I cannot believe Jennie is plagiarising Pritam, out of all. Bollywood out of all. https://t.co/C7rR0bNKgG

— Sunooprism (@lararajgirl) March 4, 2025

“I cannot believe Jennie is plagiarising Pritam, of all people. Bollywood, of all things,” one fan wrote. Another K-pop listener added, “#BLACKPINK’s Jennie copied the song Rani Anthem from the movie Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, which has Indian artist Pritam’s credits, in a way that sounds no different.”

Did Jennie Really Copy Pritam?

Not everyone was convinced that Jennie had copied Rani’s Theme. Some fans pointed out that Pritam has a long history of sampling international music, particularly Korean and Turkish tracks, without always crediting the original creators.

Pritam literally copied Pehli Nazar me note for note without any credits from a Korean song, prolly did the same for this intro, sampled it, from another international song but didn't legally give credits whereas Jennie will give sampling credits. https://t.co/LDcukEN2D1

— Mini (@loveapplesuwu) March 4, 2025

One user speculated, “The song being similar doesn’t necessarily mean Jennie copied Pritam. He may have sampled an old Korean song for Rani’s Theme, just like he’s done before.” Another added, “Pritam literally copied Pehli Nazar Mein note-for-note from a Korean song without credit. He probably did the same for Rani’s Theme, but legally didn’t acknowledge it. Jennie, on the other hand, will give proper sampling credits.”

The Verdict?

As the controversy unfolds, neither Jennie nor her agency has addressed the plagiarism claims. With the full song dropping this Friday, fans will be able to judge for themselves whether the similarities are just a coincidence—or something more.