Music composers, singers have mixed feeling about ‘remix culture’ in Bollywood

Remixes usually don't click if the original melody is changed, feels music fraternity

Music composers and singers are divided over the practice of remixing old songs even though it has become a trend in Bollywood of late. Speaking to DH, singer Aishwarya Bhandari says that a remix might fail to live up to expectations if the composers ‘tweak’ the melody of the original song.

“The original melody of the song in question should not be tweaked and (one must realise that) every song has its own beauty. Remakes often do not do justice to the original,” adds the singer.

Singer-composer Bismil too feels that remixes can make an impact only if the melody of the original song is not ‘spoilt’.

“Some composers use electronic sounds in remixes and change the original sound. Aap ko originality intact rakhni chahiye (you must keep the originality intact),” he tells DH

The remixes/contemporary adaptations of songs such as Muqabala and Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast made a decent impact on listeners. The remixed versions of Humma Humma and Chatur Naar, however, received flak as they had a distinct ‘rap’ vibe that was not there in the original versions.

Singer Dev Negi, who lent his voice to the modern version of Judwaa’s catchy Chalti Hai Kya 9 se 12 number, has a different take on the issue. Speaking to DH, he says that remixes help one push limits, evolving as an artiste.

“There is a lot of pressure as the song is already popular. We know we can’t match the original version so we go all out to reach 95 per cent.,” he adds.

Music composer Javed, one half of the Mohsin-Javed duo, too feels that the ‘remix culture’ has its advantages. In an email interaction with DH, he says that remixes help music lovers ‘relive old memories'

“I don’t discourage remixes as this is a medium to relive the old memories. This way music never dies,” he adds.

The discussion on remixes comes at a time when movie buffs are awaiting the release of the Varun Dhawan-starrer Coolie No 1, a remake of Govinda’s popular movie of the same name. The trailer suggests that the film features contemporary versions of the popular songs Husn Hai Hai Suhana and Main To Raste Se Jaa Raha Tha. It remains to be seen if the movie adds a new dimension to ‘remix culture’ in Bollywood.