The Raazi song controversy erupted this week after several Pakistani actresses used a patriotic track from the 2018 Bollywood film “Raazi” in their Independence Day social media posts, sparking a wave of mockery and criticism from Indian users online.
Key Takeaways
- Pakistani actresses and influencers used a song from the Indian film “Raazi” to mark Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14.
- Indian social media users called out the choice as ironic, given the film’s plot centres on an Indian spy operating inside Pakistan.
- News9live’s report on the reaction, headlined around the phrase “India wale mazak udha rahe hai,” captured just how quickly the moment went viral.
- The clash unfolded right as India marked its own Independence Day on August 15, putting both countries’ celebrations in the same social feed.
What Sparked the Raazi Song Controversy?
It started the way most of these things do now — a handful of reels. A few Pakistani actresses posted Independence Day tributes set to a song lifted straight from “Raazi,” the Meghna Gulzar-directed thriller starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal.
The film itself is not exactly neutral territory. It follows an Indian woman who marries into a Pakistani military family to spy for India during the 1971 war. Using its music for a Pakistani patriotic post was always going to raise eyebrows, and it did — fast.
Why Would Anyone Use an Indian Film’s Song for Pakistan’s Independence Day?
Honestly, the answer is probably simpler than the outrage suggests. The track in question — widely believed to be “Ae Watan,” the film’s swelling, Gulzar-penned anthem to one’s homeland — is genuinely one of the more stirring “watan” (homeland) songs to come out of Hindi cinema in recent years.
Its lyrics never mention a country by name. They talk about soil, roots, and belonging — universal enough that plenty of people, regardless of nationality, have used it in tribute videos before. That’s likely why it ended up on Pakistani accounts too, without much thought given to where the song originally came from.
How Did Indian Users React to the Raazi Song Controversy?
Not gently. Screenshots and reposts of the original clips did the rounds on X and Instagram within hours, with Indian commentators pointing out the irony of a film about an Indian agent outwitting Pakistani intelligence being repurposed as a Pakistani patriotic anthem.
The reaction wasn’t uniformly angry — a fair amount of it was just amused. The “India wale mazak udha rahe hai” framing that News9live used in its headline sums up the tone well: less outrage, more collective eye-roll and meme-making at the mismatch. For background on the film itself, its plot is detailed on Raazi’s Wikipedia page.
Some users defended the actresses, arguing a song about loving one’s homeland shouldn’t need a passport check. Others weren’t having it, insisting context matters — especially with a film this specifically tied to India-Pakistan espionage history.
India and Pakistan’s Independence Days, Side by Side
Part of why this story travelled so fast is timing. The two countries’ Independence Days fall back-to-back, a quirk of how the 1947 Partition and transfer of power were scheduled.
| Detail | India | Pakistan |
| Independence Day | August 15 | August 14 |
| Year of independence | 1947 | 1947 |
| Reason for one-day gap | British transfer of power ceremony held after midnight | Ceremony held a day earlier in Karachi |
| 2026 social trend | Independence Day tributes, patriotic reels | Raazi song controversy over borrowed Bollywood track |
That one-day gap means the two nations’ celebratory content genuinely overlaps online for 48 hours every August — which is exactly the window in which the Raazi song controversy took off.
Is This the First India-Pakistan Clash Over Bollywood Music?
Not even close. Bollywood songs are hugely popular across the border despite decades of official bans and restrictions on Indian film releases in Pakistan. Wedding functions, patriotic reels, even political rallies on both sides have borrowed Hindi film music for years, usually without controversy.
What made this particular case different is the source material. A generic love song or a wedding number wouldn’t have triggered this response. It was specifically “Raazi” — a film whose entire premise is India versus Pakistan — that turned a routine reel trend into a full-blown online spat.
This is also part of a bigger pattern this Independence Day season, with celebration posts from both countries — and from the Indian diaspora abroad, including large gatherings like New York’s India Day Parade — dominating timelines through mid-August.
FAQ
What is the Raazi song controversy about?
It refers to the backlash after Pakistani actresses used a patriotic song from the Indian film “Raazi” in their Independence Day posts, which Indian social media users found ironic given the film’s India-versus-Pakistan spy plot.
Which song from Raazi is at the centre of the row?
Reports point to “Ae Watan,” the film’s homeland-themed anthem written by Gulzar, as the track used in the posts that triggered the reaction.
When do India and Pakistan celebrate Independence Day?
Pakistan marks its Independence Day on August 14, and India follows on August 15 — both nations gained independence from British rule in 1947.
Is “Raazi” banned in Pakistan?
Like most Indian films with a strong Pakistan-related plot, “Raazi” was not officially released in Pakistani cinemas, though its music has still circulated widely online, as this controversy shows.
Did the actresses involved respond to the criticism?
As of now, there’s no confirmed public statement walking back or defending the choice; the story remains centred on the social media reaction itself rather than any official response.
Bottom line: the Raazi song controversy is less a diplomatic incident and more a reminder of how tangled Bollywood’s cultural footprint is across the border — loved, borrowed, and occasionally weaponised, sometimes all in the same week.