Meera Shafi, more commonly known as Meesha Shafi is ex-vocalist of Overload, who worked with the band in the last album “Pichal Pairee“. Earlier this year in February, two key members of the band, Meesha and her husband Mahmood Rehman left the band.
The statements that Mahmood and Farhad released, mentioned the reason as professional differences.
I felt like the work I did with Overload had reached the maximum potential that it could. Playing guitar in an essentially percussion-centric band was eventually limiting and I wanted to move on to making music in a more dynamic dimension. I also felt that with Overload, there were growing creative and practical differences and these were fast proving irreconcilable.
On the other hand, Farhad said there’s no room for Mahmood or Meesha to return to overload
Shafi’s a very ambitious girl and she will go far, but they cannot come back to the band since they abandoned it when it needed them the most.
The disagreement surfaced when Overload wished to perform and release the original video of ‘Dhol Bajay Ga’ minus Meesha so they could continue to perform in her absence. Farhad Humayun said Meesha found that unacceptable and so Overload had to value its priorities and move ahead.
It’s very difficult to sustain a band. I have been working assiduously towards the band for the last seven years. We can’t hold the band hostage to a particular member.
Since Farhad is the founding member of the band overload, he did what he had to and released “Dhol Bajay Ga” minus the Shafi by the name “Batti“. The song was welcomed by the community and we found it very entertaining. Unfortunately, the disagreement stayed even after Meesha and Mahmood left the band. Soon after Farhad released the video of “Batti”, Shafi reported video based on copyright claim.
It is unclear if she was entitled to do so or not considering overload is Farhad’s band and he is more likely to have ownership of the content that was created by Overload. We have already written to Farhad and Mahmood to know more about the ownership of the content. We will keep you posted as we hear more.
Update 1:
We have heard from Farhad, below is excerpt from our communication with him
I have legal rights over everything ever produced by Overload. I am the sole proprietor of Overload since 2003. Furthermore Batti is legally a new song all together with different lyrics, different title and different music as compared to Dhol bajay ga (which is also my property). The whole world knows Overload is my band. Hence the tv channels are airing the song too.
Update 2:
We have also heard from Mahmood regarding the situation, below is excerpt from his statement
The matter is currently subjudice (pending before the relevant court). Making any further statements only serves to add to the already existing controversy and is therefore counterproductive. The matter is pending before the appropriate legal forum and we will wait for the law to draw its necessary conclusions.
[Thanks Momi for the hat tip]
63 replies on “Meesha Shafi Claimed Rights Over Overload’s ‘Batti’, Took Video Down”
Meesha Shafi suffers from inferiority complex.
Ohhhh snappppp! 😛
Minor setback I’d say.
If the band is so sure about the songs right, they can host the song on a good service like Vimeo
Lost all the respect I had for Meesha. Girl needs to take her pills and calm the f**k down.
how can he says dhol bajay ga is his? he released the song w/ original lyrics first, and then lost the case to meesha shafi. which is why he had to change the lyrics. the stay order was printed in the newspapers also. she must be the owner of the song if she’s getting stay orders against farhad.
Seems like Farhad has some serious issues. Batti certainly has a different title but the lyrics and music is all too familiar. Are your fans that stupid Farhad? Can they not tell its the same song??? Why did you decide to change a few words from Dhol Bajay Ga and make a “new” song if that was also your “property”? Some major insecurity issues there for sure. And why so much excitement about the song being aired on tv channels? were you not expecting it to be aired? And yes Farhad the whole world knows overload is yours..keep it, no ones claiming it to be anyone else’s..and the whole world also knows that Dhol Bajay Ga is Meesha’s so don’t go around claiming it..do you seriously not have any songs written by you then?
oh and anwar..i think you need to calm the f**k down mate. what are you so torn up about?
Meesha ho ya na ho, Dhool to bajey ga!
To all the people who say that Farhad doesn’t own Dhol Bajay Ga. How do you know that he doesn’t? Just because Meesha sings in it?
Either way, Meesha is no longer a part of Overload. And Dhol Bajay Ga was released BY OVERLOAD. So therefore, it is Overload’s property.
Has anyone even thought of mentioning Intellectual Property Rights? Its the main case of the issue, not Copyright.
Tough luck if Meesha and her husband left. With a band comes great responsibility.
Why is it that everyone who gets fame leaves in disagreement with Farhad (pappu saeein left him too)? Could it be that he cannot stand any one else’s fame in Overload? Standing on stools and drumming can only take you so far I guess….
Ummmm Hasan you’re certainly not the brightest one around! Its obviously not just because Meesha sang the song (which in itself actually says alot) but she’s the one who actually wrote it and composed it as acknowledged by Farhad and clan in earlier interviews etc. You talk of Intellectual Property Rights…do you even know what that is??? do you have any common sense at all??? if the song is the intellectual property then doesnt it make sense that the person who actually wrote it is its owner as that sort of made it up intellectually???? and how do you know that Farhad owns it??? is it because he said so?? clever. really clever Hasan, well done for figuring that out all on your own. If I invent something, will you steal it and release it and claim to be its owner then??? ingenious.
I agree with shaukat. Why change the lyrics, the title and the music if everything is his property? Daal mein kuch kaala hai. I hate it when a song is written by one person…and becomes the property of a band. I’m glad someone has the guts to sue unethical people who have no respect for music and just want to commercialize everything for the sake of money.
WTF!!! meesha or whtever ur name is, Just listen to Farhad vocals on that song, and shoot urself as u cn never sing like him. I want tht song bk on youtube, or put it on itunes… meesha u suck.
the age old debate of copyrights over music. why dont people understand that no one can own the musical notes of a song cuz well they are all the same ! and farhad is right, if they left the band then they dont own anything under the banner of overload. he created the band so whatever he does with the songs,, makes them new or whatever its his property not of ex-members.
Shah or whatever your name is, you’re either tone deaf or just simply deaf if you think those vocals are better than Meesha’s (and yes the name is Meesha). Your inability to understand why this issue arose is sad, even pathetic. If Mehr can see it why can’t you? I’m glad the youtube lot is not as indifferent as you. Pity its not about what you want. Someone finally stands up for what is rightfully theirs and you moral-less people still can’t see beyond what you’d want. selfish to say the least. And i’m sure its people like you who are complaining all day about all that is wrong with this country and its people. not willing to stand up for much are you?
Samaha thats sweet but don’t you think you should consult some real laws or lawyers and not what farhad says before you make such absurd statements. and how do you even know that they are claiming to own something under the banner of overload? they probably don’t want anything to do with overload as they are the ones who LEFT. He created the band, maybe he can create some songs of his own too now.
“why dont people understand that no one can own the musical notes of a song cuz well they are all the same” —–(A) who’s said anything about musical notes? and (b) are you claiming that michael jackson or lata don’t have any copyright to their songs?
Farhad just got slapped on his face. just because he created the band that doesn’t mean he can do whatever he wants too!! there are other people in the band too!
I think we all know who’s telling the truth and who’s just using people to get ahead and for their own selfish gains, shame on you! Seems like all knowing teddy’s been a member of the band himself, or should I say ‘herself’ hmm? Meera?
Teddy naukar are u the spokesperson for meera? Relax buddy! btw How much did she pay u
Teddy listen dude!!! meera or meesha or wht ever her name is 😛 Sucks period. HER claim to fame is singing dum ghutko 1000 times in one song.
PUT tht song bk on youtube,
Meera is just having hormonal problems thts it.
Haha Shaan.
Thanks for the rant Teddy.
I never said that Farhad owns the song. I asked whether anyone knew who wrote it. So thanks for misinterpreting.
You say Meesha wrote it and composed it as acknowledged by Farhad. What is the problem then? She was in Overload and it was a group at the time.
Farhad in the article: ‘Furthermore Batti is legally a new song.’
Farhad in the article: ‘I have legal rights over everything ever produced by Overload. I am the sole proprietor of Overload since 2003.’
Seeing as Meesha wrote and composed the song, but Overload and the new song are legal. Then Intellectual Property Rights are certainly to be taken into account. The Copyright as Farhad states, is legally fine.
You state: ‘If I invent something, will you steal it and release it and claim to be its owner then?’ It is very easy to do so. Especially if I’m not in Pak 😉
I’m supporting Meesha !
@Ali and Shaan – you both seem insanely paranoid. Don’t let it get the better of you. Ali i’ve only read the comments in the article above – seems to me like Farhad is crying wolf..and we all know what that means. And shaan, if we go by what you’re saying then how much are you getting for your comments? Contrary to what you believe, one doesnt need to be meesha or be paid by her to reach the conclusion that i did. It is my opinion after this article and Farhad and meesh’s husband’s comments. if you don’t agree with it…tough! Oh and shaan “naukar are you the spokesperson for” Farhad…sounds a bit stupid doesn’t it?
@Shah at the moment you sound like the one with the problems dude. and what does dum gutko have anything to do with the article above?
@Hasan thanks for your insight and judgment on who has copyright etc. hopefully you’re not the judge who is to eventually determine this.
I agree with Mehr. why should anyone be able to take advantage of someone else’s hard work and make a career out of it no morals or ethics. shame. who ever wrote the song and sang it first should get it.
On a general note, Farhad said “I have..I am…Dhol bajay ga..is also my property…is my band” Ok beta, but there are others in this world too.
now you go write “your own” song.
Teddy who said I’m supporting farhad? Just that u need to chill out man! Why so emotional, Thoree self respect to rakh lo. Lagta hay tumnay paisay khaye hain yeh kehnay ke liyay haha Tsk.
i’m a music lover, but a lawyer by profession, and in my humble opinion, if meesha wrote the lyrics then then she’s the legal owner of the song dhol bajay ga. the law does not take into account who owns the band, it only sees who wrote the song. if farhad himself says meesha wrote the song, then that’s that. meesha’s the owner of the song.
personally, i think meesha’s way, way ahead of overload, just take a look at her youtube views. farhad is ripping off meesha’s song to further his career in what seems to be a mid-life crisis. substandard work, with a ridiculous ‘bottle solo’. look at the faces farhad makes! ridiculous.
it was in the paper that farhad lost the case to meesha thats why he had to change the lyrics……..why release the song with original lyrics first then change the lyrics? chor ki daari mein tinka, farhad?
ok shaan jaisa tum kaho. waisay lagta hay tumnay bhi paisay khaye hain yeh kehney ke liyay haha tsk tsk
on a more serious note, hope these guys sort out their mess soon and get on with their careers. good luck to them both.
Ok i thaught meesha was a great musician , 100 times better than the other girls around BUT this act is below the belt, she should just move on. Taking off the video was Cheap.
shah if for example someone steals something from you and another person told you to “just move on” how would you feel? and I think youtube admin took the video off how can she take if off? well done meesha for standing up for yourself. people like shah certainly never will. all the best to you.
Dude I’m not the one writing two page long whiny essays in some one’s defense. Get a life pls. And yes they shouldn’t have made such a mess over it. The girl needs to stop whining and move on! She’s a good singer and she can go a long way but this just seems too pathetic. After all the band gave her exposure. Let’s see how both sides go.
controversies….controversies…..controversies!!! this is what Pakistani music has been reduced to, ex bands band members fighting over the rights of compositions,nothing new here same old crap.
sometimes I get a feeling that these controversies are fake just to create hype in order to gain the attention of the people!
ever since the Atif-Jal controversy, which took the two to the heights of popularity these controversies have seem to become all too common which is making me suspicious :/
If this was india farhad wd never b able to pull this off. meeshas rights would have been protected, and meeshas song would be safe. i think her rights not only as an artist but as a woman have been wronged. she was 8 months pregnant when farhad made the video behind her back, and taking advantage of a pregnant woman is the lowest thing a man can do. this is why hamaray mulk ka kuch nahin banta…ppl like farhad r ruining the entertainment industry. shame on the parents who teach their children that its ok to cheap pregnant women this way. the song for me will always be meeshas, not some middle aged uncle with no life, no family, no wife, no children, no friends to be jumping like a bandar and trying so hard to prove himself. its too late, farhad, to launch yourself as a singer. the age of 35 is not a good age to start these things.
vesay haan…if the line up for the band is new…then the songs should be new too. why sing meesha’s song again? and then change the lyrics? to be a good singer, you also have to LOOK GOOD singing. farhad can’t compare with meesha in that way.
who’s farhad?
firstly, meesha was a part of ‘Overload’ She worked for a band. She is just carrying the regular streak that has been with her since her many ‘engagements’ and modelling days. I didnt want to hit so personal but she has always thrown tantrums to get attention. What a better way now to start a new career than with a scandal. This is not the first time she’s ditched the band. She’s walked out of modelling contracts herself.. and acting assignments too. Excuses.. lies. Frankly, overload NEVER needed her. There were other members of overload like hassan moyo too who contributed (like all musicians do) and then moved on to other stuff. No one claims right over stuff like this.
meesha sings like a man.. and honestly the song in her voice is scary. at the end of the day people want to hear music… and the ‘overload’s new version ‘Batti’ is so much better. not just the vocals.. but the percussion part too.
[Commented edited]
@noori: compare meesha shafi’s youtube hits with overloads. just do it. come on. make my day.
Overload’s most viewed video (without Meesha): Cursed, with 115,960 views.
Meesha’s most viewed video: Alif Allah, 4,314,085 views.
Meesha’s most viewed youtube video has been viewed THIRTY-FIVE more times than Overload’s. The public has spoken. Whatever Overload can do, Meesha can do it thirty five times better.
I Dnt get this, why are u(Asma) getting personal. Its just my opinion on a public personality. Overload has hit the jackpot with there new line up. Rule no 1 NO Chicks in a Rock band. .
agreed shah. Rule NO 2 should be not to use a chicks song in the rock band. Farhad and overloads new line up should do some original song. not one originally sung by a chick.
Kiran the song has that much amount of hit because of Arif Lohar. Overload was the reason how she got a place in coke studio in the first place. Your comparison is so wrong on so many levels. First Overload is a band. Meesha is not. Second the song you referred is COKE STUDIO property and coke studio is a worldwide phenomena. It is viewed all around the world thus that many hits doesn’t matter with or without Arif Lohar. Looks you have crossed all the boundaries to defy logic. You need some so next time you don’t insult Arif Lohar. Meesha is all because of Overload. Period.
@momi: arif lohar’s father and arif lohar himself had been singing jugni their entire lives. why didn’t that get any attention? if coke studio is a world-wide phenomenon, why hasn’t any other song come close to the success that jugni had? secondly, whatever overload is today is because of pappoo saeein. farhad just cashed on on the pappoo saeein scene. so, if according to your opinion, if meesha is what she is because of overload, then by the same principle overload is what it is because of pappoo saeein. and ‘batti’ is because of meesha. so what has farhad done by himself?
hmmmm……momi………if meesha was because of overload, why didn’t coke studio feature the entire band? man, whatever coke studio did was right because it gave them their biggest hit ever, and the biggest song of 2010. perhaps farhad feels threatened by meesha’s success.
I think we have got our own Chris Martin in shape of Farhad. if u want to listen to ballads, go listen to ATIF. And plz celebrate UR stars in Pakistan. Overload with this line up will blow everyone away.
Every time I argue with a fool, I lose. That is all i can say.
Momi I agree with you a hundred percent! Is ka jawab kis tarhaan dain? Hahaha also pls koi kiran ko bata day abc if she doesn’t even know who farhad is. What’s she doing on this blog anyway
its funny what people are arguing about here. I am sure Farhad doesnt give a rat arse about this issue. Anyhow, on the cont’ .. its Farhad’s band, OVERLOAD is farhad’s band. OVERLOAD is beats, and beats is Farhad, period.
Firstly I’d like to say what a wonderful track batti is.
How beautifully it has been shot, how creative it sounds.
Secondly about this whole controversy Its pretty clear, meesha wouldn’t have been able to make a place for herself in cokestudio, if she wasn’t given an exposure by overload.
Whatever that YouTube video jugni is, because of overload.
It’s pretty shameful to see what’s being going on between both parties, but meesha should still be thankful to overload. It’s because of that band she is known.
Overload is known to produce great music and you do not have to go much far for that. They produced Atif aslam’s albums look where he is now.
See where he is now, they produced symt who are already rocking.
Overload is known to make musicians, I believe they are the masters of this.
Yet, they do not compromise on their style of music.
I don’t think overload needs any publicity, incase they did they would have made a pop rock kind of song in the first place rather than doing experimenting with different genres.
Why is this becoming a debate about farhad vs meesha and who is better. both are artists with their own fan following. people will always prefer one over the other. no one is denying overload is farhads band. the question that remains is:
1. farhad is launching himself as a vocalist/singer with a new line up etc, why has he chosen to do it with a song written and sung by meesha? wouldn’t farhad and overloads new line up want a fresh start with their own song, music etc?
2. and if he owns dhol bajay ga then why did he feel the need to take dhol bajay ga, change the lyrics slightly and call it a “new song all together with different lyrics, different title and different music”?
mekal: if overload makes musicians, why aren’t they a hit themselves? so you’re saying overload is like this school with old teachers who weren’t even has-beens, they’re never-was’s, who make artists? this song batti IS a pop rock song! i’m sorry, i’m with meesha on this one. Overload didn’t PRODUCE atif’s albums. they didn’t write his songs. the first album was recorded at sarmad ghafoor’s studio in islamabd. farhad only played drums on them. that way, mehmood rehman had as big a hand as making atif as farhad. why farhad has chosen to launch himself with meesha’s song is the only questionable part.
wow.. so big on originality and copyrights ms shafi is… then write ur own goddam sufi qalam too instead of being ‘OVER EXCITED’ about singing with Arif lohar. Can arif lohar not sing alif allah without her too now? So bloody insecure.
Why farhad has changed the lyrics slightly is simply to MAKE A POINT. that he is an artist at the end of the day who WILL innovate to put a choosny in the wailing ms shafi’s mouth. Also… meesha ji, even if you wanted to own the song… aapka dhol bajaey ga KON?
Overload has put dhol on the map… Meesha.. why dont u do something amazing too.
Syra!!!
OVERLOAD is a big hit. if you are spending your happy hours dancing to bollywood only you wouldnt even understand.
@noori, you sound messed up. take it easy. changing the lyrics slightly is hardly innovative. and the only point being made is he can’t write lyrics for himself. point taken. if you think re-singing dhol bajay ga with a few minor changes in lyrics is amazing then you’re extremely easy to please. your analogy drawn with arif lohar’s song is illogical. she never took his song, changed the lyrics a little and claimed it to be hers. So the questions still remain…
Syra if you had some comprehension skills to comprehend my post you would have found your answers to the questions you asked in reply to it. I think you need to get your facts right go check along with sarmad he co produced the first album.
I dont think that girl is any comparison to the kind of music overload is known to produce. And doing that is certainly injustice for the musicians.
@dr. asma
You might not feel that the new Batti is innovative. OK let’s forget about the lyrics. Look at the music then. There’s quite a comparison. The new song has a more heavier sound, has more percussion and bottle music instead of a guitar solo. Would this be innovative enough for you?
I have to agree with Mekal, that Overload helped Meesha progress in her career, so she should be thankful.
Coke Studio further helped her career. If it weren’t for her collaboration with Arif Lohar, she probably wouldn’t have been where she is now. I cannot imagine her doing Jugni alone. If you think about it, she’s a bit of a backing singer compared to Arif Lohar. Look at the input in the song.
Don’t forget, that the song was a group effort by Overload to begin with. Meesha created the song in the group, and probably FOR the group too.
So how can she complain if she’s out of the band now?
It was her decision to leave.
Now common meesha, its been a week and u still havent given up, Open your Dimagh ki BATTI & Let us have wht we want.
@waqas Why should anyone forget about the lyrics specially if Farhad is insisting he wrote these and they’re new? and the comparison you make in music is hardly a comparison..heavier sound, more percussion and bottle instead of guitar. thats it? one would expect more from overload. why couldnt they come up with something different and truly new?
if everyone believes taking a song changing a few lyrics and adding heavier sound and percussion makes a new song, then all our singers/musician should watch out, next thing we know any band may release junoon’s dosti by replacing that word with “yaari” or some other stupid synonym…does that seem right to you?
I still feel discussing coke studio, arif lohar and meesha’s gratitude or ingratitude is irrelevant here.
WOW…! well I guess whoever owns the rights or whatever ,I still believe BATTI is far much better than DHOL BAJAY GA,Sorry I had to compare though I know both are different tracks technically and legally !I am a huge fan of overload,and I do like Meesha as well…she is a good singer but better for FOLK singing…(she should cover songs by RESHMA G)
I think Mr. Farhad humayun had to change the lyrics not because he can’t do something on his own or he doesn’t own the song,I believe he did so just to make her(Meesha g) clear that after all what happened and all what she struggled for, he still can sing the song with OBVIOUS changes and make her feel whatever she struggled for was a total waste of time!!! if I was on his place I would do the same!NOT BECAUSE THATS WHAT EVERY PAKISTANI DO BUT because I know very well when you work in a group the credit goes to whole team not just the captain or some other part of it and whatever they do belongs to the group!
And my favourite part in the video is that bottle part! reminds me of A.R.RAHMAN’s level of music, sorry to say even better than his!
and regarding cokestudios and alif Allah thing ..what abt the total views of the song meesha did only by herself in coke studio ” nee mein chori chori” originally by RESHMA G ????? Oh come on plzzzzzzzz thats because of Arif Lohar …and Meesha was there because of Overload! SO CHILL WE ALL KNOW WHO IS RIGHT AT THIS STAGE! and I guess its good if the video is not on youtube! wese bhi I am hating youtube these days..its not working as good as it was ! XD~
GOOD LUCK TO BOTH ….MEESHA HO YA NA HO DHOL TOW BAJAY GAAA…
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
I am not taking any sides but this is leading to a big ball of awesome stinking bushlit. Why?
First, if Farhad had the rights to the song Dhol Bajay Ga then why would he change the lyrics and repackage it to make an entirely different song.
Farhad made a very bad move which will cost him.
Overload looks so DULL without Meesha and Mahmood!
And their new songs sucks. Batti? COME ONE MAN!
DHOL BAJAY GA WAS SAX!
I mean.. It was Overload’s BEST song. And they seriously ruined it! -.-
Wow, ok. First, Meesha was NEVER part of Overload. She was a collaborator, like many before her. And just because someone writes or sings a song doesn’t automatically mean they own it. There are thousands of examples in western music. For example, many people wrote songs for the Beatles, but they don’t OWN the songs, the Beatles do. That’s how it works. It depends on the contract that was agreed upon. If the song was legally by Overload, and Overload is under Farhad’s name, then the song rights belong to him. Also, Meesha did NOT arrange, compose or produce the song. Farhad did, and he has confirmed that on TV. She co-wrote the lyrics, with Sheraz Siddiq’s help. Either way, the song is legally the intellectual property of Overload which is Farhad’s band, under HIS record label, Riot Records.
Secondly, come on guys, Farhad’s reasons for changing the song and re-releasing it are obvious. Does anyone even know what a stay-order is? The song is under a lawsuit, because Meesha wants to insist and fight in court that its hers, and in order to prevent either party from profiting from it, you get a stay order, preventing the song from being used AT ALL. Which basically means Farhad couldn’t perform the song while the court case and stay order lasted. He could not USE IT until the matter was resolved. And it may take YEARS for it to be resolved. So he did, in my opinion, a VERY smart thing, and changed the song enough for it to legally qualify as a NEW song, so they could use it, play it and perform it whenever they liked. Its as simple as that. No one is denying that Dhol Bajega is Overload’s property, but they can’t really do much about it while the case is stuck in courts.
Oh and, I’ve seen Overload perform live without Meesha, and I don’t care what ‘statics’ or ‘youtube views’ say, Farhad kicks some major ass. On vocals AND on drums. And as a leader overall. I mean, come ON. “Neray Ah” anyone? What an AMAZING remake of Syed Noor’s song, and absolutely NOTHING to do with Meesha. Not to mention Farhad’s video concept was incredible. My favourite.
For those of you saying that if this was happening in India, Meesha’s ‘rights’ would be protected, um, NO. In 95% of Bollywood movies, the rights to the music belong to the Movie producers, and NOT the Music directors, or composers, or writers. Its all about the contract people! A R Rahman has a special contract entitling him to the rights of his work, and so he gets them. Meesha obviously had no such contract.
Apparently Meesha has won the lawsuit, because apparently it was proven that she composed and wrote the song. Now where that is concerned, Farhad has multiple times stated that it was a band/collaborative effort, so its not right that Meesha should own it as whole and bar the world at large from ever playing it again, which is basically what she did. But regardless, if the song was in Overload’s name, and the contract was as such, then it should rightfully be Farhad’s, and it seems as though our justice system has failed yet again.