Mumbai, Sep 15 (IANS): Farhan Saeed, a former member of Pakistan's popular band Jal, has slammed Salim Merchant for copying his song "Roiyaan". However, the Indian singer-composer called it a "mere coincidence".

"Someone just sent me @salim_merchant song HAREYA, which is a total copy of my song ROIYAAN. I wonder they have the audacity to call themselves artists when they steal someone's work. Karna hi hai to pooch ke kuro aur ager poochna nahin hai to at least acha to kuro! #stopstealing," Farhan tweeted on September 14.

Salim, one half of the popular composer duo Salim-Sulaiman, gave Farhan's 2014 song, which has lyrics by Kumar, a listen and tweeted: "It's a mere coincidence that the chorus of Haareya is like your song. To be honest, I've never heard it before. It happens many a times when notes have a natural progression from each other. @Sulaiman and I have a track record of never plagiarising."

Farhan pointed out: "@salim_merchant and @Sulaiman @salim_merchant If you say so! Another co-incidence is we have the same lyricist! Anyway good luck!"

Salim then suggested Farhan to check with the lyricist instead. "If I had to copy, I would have done that way long back in my career. I really wish I had heard your song before I made mine. Would have surely made changes to our composition to make it sound different from yours. Anyway, hope you understand," he tweeted.

It all started when Salim took to Twitter on September 14 to share that "Haareya" had received more than 2 million views on the composers' YouTube channel.