Sanaya Irani, Mohit Sehgal’s Qabool Hai Branded ‘Cheap Copy’ of Pak Drama Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum: ‘Out of Ideas?’

The digital entertainment space is witnessing an intense cross-border debate as viewers aggressively point out undeniable narrative similarities between two distinct television projects. Real-life celebrity couple Sanaya Irani and Mohit Sehgal, who built a massive fan following through their iconic teenage romance series Miley Jab Hum Tum, recently made a highly anticipated on-screen comeback together after a long gap of nine years. The duo officially returned to the acting world as the leading pair of a brand-new vertical micro-drama series titled Qabool Hai, streaming on the short-format platform Kuku TV. However, what was initially intended to be a grand celebration for long-time television enthusiasts has quickly transformed into a major internet controversy, with a massive wave of viewers taking to social media platforms to brand the freshly launched Indian show as a low-budget imitation of the globally acclaimed Pakistani drama series Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum.

The intense digital backlash erupted immediately after initial video clips and emotional sequences from the Indian micro-drama began circulating heavily on Instagram reels and X grids. Entertainment enthusiasts quickly flooded various discussion forums to point out that the core premise of Qabool Hai completely mirrors the exact storyline of the 2024 Pakistani hit show, which originally featured superstars Hania Aamir and Fahad Mustafa in the lead roles as Sharjeena and Mustafa. Online critics are bluntly questioning whether the creators of the Indian television industry have entirely run out of ideas, highlighting that both narratives revolve around an ambitious, highly responsible, and hardworking woman who enters into an unexpected marriage of circumstance with a completely carefree, unmotivated, and jobless husband. Netizens have shared multiple side-by-side video comparisons online to demonstrate that the apparent replication extends far beyond a shared central trope, accusing the new micro-drama of actively attempting to copy-paste the specific visual aesthetics, emotional framework, and exact dialogue delivery from the original Pakistani project.

The original show, written beautifully by Farhat Ishtiaq, achieved historic status as a massive global phenomenon, earning deep love from millions of domestic and cross-border fans for its incredibly grounded family conflicts and the magical natural chemistry between its protagonists as they slowly navigate financial challenges together. Given the immense emotional attachment that fans still harbor toward the characters of Sharjeena and Mustafa, the sudden arrival of a highly identical counterpart has triggered immense protective skepticism among drama enthusiasts. While a smaller section of netizens stepped forward to defend the Indian production by noting that parallel romantic tropes are common across worldwide television, the vast majority of commentators continue to heavily criticize the series for lacking genuine creative originality. While the online plagiarism debate continues to gain massive steam across international viewer communities, the creative team behind Qabool Hai alongside lead actors Sanaya Irani and Mohit Sehgal have completely maintained their silence on the matter and are yet to issue an official response regarding the ongoing social media allegations.

You can check out further details regarding the actors’ initial return announcement by viewing this Qabool Hai 2026 Comeback Preview. This video covers the initial excitement of fans when the real-life couple first announced their return to the screen before the plagiarism controversy surfaced.