Pakistani pop singer Hasan Jahangir has revealed that he received $50,000 for the use of one of his songs in a film.
Jahangir shared the details during a recent appearance on a Ramadan special programme.
During the conversation, Yasir asked the singer whether filmmakers pay him when they use his songs in movies. Jahangir confirmed that they now seek permission and compensate him for using his music.
“A film that was made with a budget of Rs 300 crore and had earned Rs 1,100 crore recently has paid me $50,000 for featuring my song,” he said.
Jahangir added that several of his classic songs continue to appear in films today. He named tracks such as Shawa Ve, Nakhra Gori Da, Aa Jaana Dil Deewana, Hato Bacho, and his iconic hit Hawa Hawa.
“Now I receive money whenever these songs are used. Earlier it wasn’t like this. There was no proper copyright system in the world. But now, whoever uses my songs first takes permission from me,” he said, adding that he allowed his music to be used for free only once for the singing reality show Pakistan Idol.
Jahangir explained that he recorded the song in 1986 before releasing it in 1987. The track later became the defining hit of his career and remains widely recognised across generations.
He also recalled a memorable visit to India during the peak of his popularity. According to Jahangir, the level of excitement from fans surprised him when he landed in Mumbai.
“I didn’t know that music lovers were so crazy about me. When I landed at Bombay airport, I realised no one was at their duty posts. All the customs officers and intelligence staff were following me. I didn’t know I created such a craze among the people,” he recalled.
Jahangir said several film personalities came to welcome him at the airport, including Bollywood actor Govinda, who had also sung Hawa Hawa during that period.
“Then from there, because there was such a huge crowd, they took me in a convoy to Hotel Sea Rock. From Sea Rock, I had to go to the stadium for the show. When I was going to the show, I saw so many cars, fire brigade vehicles, and ambulances. So I asked my manager, ‘Hi, what’s going on here? Why are there so many cars?’ He said, ‘Nothing. This is for you, sir.’”
“That’s when I realised what real stardom is,” Jahangir added.
One of the recent films linked to the discussion around music and cinema is Dhurandhar, as the song ‘Hawa Hawa’ was used in the movie. The budget and box office figures he mentioned also appear to match those associated with Dhurandhar.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film follows an Indian spy operating in Karachi’s Lyari neighbourhood and describes the area in its trailer as “the very core of terrorism in Pakistan,” with the lead character arriving to “wipe out terrorism” from the region.
The cast includes Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal, a character portrayed as having influence over Pakistani politics. R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna also appear in key roles.
The production references figures from Karachi’s past. Sanjay Dutt portrays the late police officer Chaudhry Aslam Khan, while Akshaye Khanna plays Rehman Dakait, whose real name was Abdul Rehman Baloch.
Filmmakers describe Dhurandhar as “inspired by incredible true events.” However, the links the film draws between these Karachi figures and cross border terrorism do not have documented historical evidence.
The trailer also shows imagery resembling the Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacking, suggesting the film blends multiple storylines under its “true events” claim.
