The fact that most of these reworked songs don't live up to the benchmark set by the original is what should make it criminal
While curating the weekly list of top trending songs for BollywoodLife’s Trending Tunes, I dread that I have to write about another rehashed track. Such has been the stale state of Bollywood music industry for the past two years that every second film, for some reason, has to have a remake of a hit old classic. It is actually impossible to remember when the disease began to spread. But the earliest examples I remember was the usage of Hungama Ho Gaya in Queen (2014), which actually was put to good use. The trend eventually caught on slowly and steadily, and over the time degraded the original, and the makers refused to respect its sensibilities. We have seen so many remade songs over the years that they seem more like an excuse from composing something original.
The latest entry in the trash list is Ek Do Teen remake from Baaghi 2. Jacqueline Fernandez steps into the dancing shoes of Madhuri Dixit. Collectively, from the makers to the stars, they have done a terrible job at recreating this iconic number. And Bollywood lovers should feel deeply offended. This is not what we have signed up for after years of showering our love on this film industry. The murder of our favourite tunes is not what we deserve.
In the past three years, over 50 songs have been remade. While the number is appalling enough already, the fact that most of these reworked songs don’t live up to the benchmark set by the original is what should make it criminal. It takes certain guts to butcher a song as beautiful as Gulabi Aankhein and turn it into electronic trash called Gulabi Ankhein 2.0. Then there was the utter insult to our eardrums that was Cheez Badi – a remake of Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast.
Gazab Ka Hai Din, Humma, Oonchi Hai Building are not just songs. They are emotions. They are memories of an entire generation. You need a certain inhumane attitude to actually take up the task of remaking these songs and then not live up to the expectations. Leave these number alone!
I don’t understand what drives Bollywood to run back to these old numbers again and again. This won’t be the first wave of remixes that has engulfed Bollywood. Back in the early 2000s, music producers were busy remaking hit classics like Chadti Jawaani, Kaanta Laga, Tu Hai Wohi, etc. Do we really lack the talent in the country so gravely that we have to rehash whatever we already have at our disposal?
I don’t think so. The indie scene in India is incredible and unimaginably unexplored. Artists like Divine, The Local Train, Agnee are prime examples that we have not run out of originality. So, please Bollywood, excuse us from the torture of seeing our favourite song perish in the updated beats.
Though, sadly, there seems to be no improvement happening in the near future. As per rumours, already many songs have been rehashed to use in the films coming out in 2018. Let us aim for 2019. May it be the year when Bollywood comes to see the beauty of originality.
Comments
Post a Comment