Is music director Pritam hinting at retirement after Arijit Singh? Viral post says 'Time to set off on new journeys and...'

Music director Pritam has been a part of the Hindi film industry for the last 25 years. His name has been attached to films like Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, the Dhoom franchise, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Gangster, Life In A Metro, Jagga Jasoos, Barfi, Jab Harry Met Sejal, Jab We Met, Race, Mausam, Cocktail, R...Rajkumar, Desi Boyz, Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewwani, Love Aaj Kal, Agent Vinod, and many more.

Hinting at a retirement?

The music director posted a note on Instagram that read- "Thank you for all the wishes.

Can’t answer everyone individually, but please accept my sincere gratitude.

Today, I have decided to gift myself a few years to live life differently. To catch up on what I’ve missed."

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He added, "Time to set off on new journeys, which have been kept on the back burner for long.

Mainstream is a great ride. But I’ve always been more curious about the roads unexplored."

The plagiarism allegations

Taking to his Instagram, Pritam wrote, “Every single one of my song releases comes with a set of self-appointed music detectives, who have created a new genre called ‘imaginary similarities,’" the composer said.

"Same people, same ‘inspired by’ thesis… Boss, at this point, you are my unpaid PR team. I just want to say, guys, not nice," he added.

The controversy erupted after a Reddit user shared a comparison video placing “Mashooqa” alongside “Se So Arrubate A Nonna”, a Neapolitan song by Italian duo Bibi and Coco from their 1993 album “Le Origini Vol. 2”. Many users claimed the two tunes sounded nearly identical.

Pritam responded to critics in a post on his Instagram stories, calling them his “unpaid PR team”.

“Every single one of my song releases comes with a set of self-appointed music detectives, who have created a new genre called ‘imaginary similarities’. Same people, same ‘inspired by’ thesis.. Boss, at this point, you are my unpaid PR team.. I just want to say guys, NOT NICE,” he wrote.