As we usher in a new era in Indian cinema, the glamourous world of Bollywood continues to flourish, more than it ever has. We’re seeing movies making more than Rs 600 crore at the box-office, huge sets being erected, technicians being imported from abroad and stars who enjoy massive fan-following.
And while Bollywood fillmmakers have a lot more funds and technology at their disposal compared to three decades ago, it seems there is a dearth of creativity among the industry’s elite. There seems to be a sudden surge in remixing popular Bollywood songs. Suddenly it seems like any new Hindi release is incomplete without having a re-hashed version of an old classic song in it. From ‘Humma Humma’ to ‘Tamma Tamma’, we explore this latest trend of Bollywood remixes.
Laila Main Laila
Who can forget Zeenat Aman dancing to ‘Laila O Laila’ in the Vinod Khanna, Feroze Khan-starrer Qurbani? The film became a huge hit and the song went on to become a rage for many years to come. Fast forward to 2017 and Zeenat has been replaced with Sunny Leone, who dances at a shady setting in Shah Rukh Khan’s Raaes. What was an iconic song, has been reduced to just another number. The youngsters aren’t complaining though, with the song registering a record number of views on YouTube and the filmmakers are laughing all the way to the bank.
Aaj Jaane ki Zidd Na Karo
This popular chartbuster sung by the legendary Asha Bhonsle in Monsoon Wedding (1993) was reprised in Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil last year, in a song picturised on Ranbir Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. While Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’s music had been number 1 on the charts for a while now, this song was appreciated by listeners who took a trip down memory lane. Aishwarya’s presence also brought the song more eyeballs.
Humma Humma
One of the evergreen classics composed by the legendary AR Rahman in Mani Ratnam’s Bombay, Humma Humma was reprised this year in Shaad Ali’s Ok Jaanu. While the original track needs no introduction, the song has been modified to be picturised on Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. The remix polarised opinions, with the younger generation grooving to the tune, while those familiar with the original song, brushing it aside with disdain.
Haseeno Ka Deewana
This year’s Republic Day saw two big releases – Raees and Kaabil releasing on the same day. And both these films have something more in common – a remix of a popular Hindi song. If Raees had Sunny Leone dancing to ‘Laila O Laila’, Kaabil witnessed the remake of Kishore Kumar’s iconic song – Haseenon Ka Deewana. Here it’s Urvashi Rautela who sets pulses racing as she dances to the tunes of Rajesh Roshan. While the song lacks the Kishore Kumar magic, the remix nevertheless turned out to be hugely popular with the younger audience, and the video attracted over 50 million views on YouTube.
Maahi Ve
While Bollywood filmmakers often say that they merely paying tribute to classics – to justify their lack of creativity – while remixing old songs, here is a case where a relatively recent song has been reprised once again, with different singer and a different item girl. Malaika Arora raised the temperature with the item song Maahi Ve (2002), which became an instant later. 15 years later, the song has been reprised (again an item song) in Wajah Tum Ho (released in December 2016). The song has been picturised on Zareen Khan and has become a roaring hit with over 80 million views on YouTube, apart from being a constant feature in nightclubs. But it still begs the question, can’t Bollywood, with all its resources at its disposal, be more original?
Tamma Tamma
While watching new-age superstars Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan dance to ‘Tamma Tamma’ in their upcoming film Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya, our minds race back to the song picturised on Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit from Thanedaar. Interestingly, viewers not familiar with the original version couldn’t help but notice the resemblance with Amitabh Bachchan song ‘Jhumma Chumma De De’, and were quite perplexed to find that two songs which are pretty much identical, released in separate movies, just an year apart.
Tu Cheez Badi Hai
One of the most foot-tapping songs from the 90s, the song from Mohra featuring Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon was an instant chartbuster and is fondly remembered by the audience even today. Now the latest we hear is that this song will also be reprised in director duo Abbas-Mustan’s upcoming film Machine. The film will feature Abbas’ son Mustafa Burmawalla, who will make his Bollywood debut opposite Kiara Advani.