A still from Masakali 2.0. (courtesy YouTube)
Highlights
- "They could've called it something else," said Mohit Chauhan
- "Rahman Sir is a quiet person, he doesn't say much," he added
- "I don't know if there's a dearth of creativity," said Mohit Chauhan
Masakali 2.0 - a remix of the 2009 AR Rahman-composed classic, has been trending on social media ever since its release – largely for the flak it is receiving. Mohit Chauhan, who sung the original for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's film Delhi 6, recently reacted to the revived version. In an interview with news agency PTI, Mohit Chauhan said that the song doesn't sound like Masakali and the makers should have renamed it. "I heard the song. But it doesn't sound like Masakali. So they could've called it something else but to say it's Masakali and then ride on the name of the song to make something else.” Citing the example of Ramesh Sippy's evergreen film Sholay, the singer added, “If you make a new Sholay and then add anything to it, it ruins the experience of the original.”
The Tum Se Hi singer stated that the rise in the number of remakes being made, could be attributed to two factors – “dearth of creativity” or a “business angle for the labels.” He told PTI: "I don't know if there's a dearth of creativity which is why people are piggy backing on songs or if there's a business angle for the labels. But I feel ultimately the creator should have control over where the song is going. Because it's in public and everyone can hear it. If you want to do something with it, contact the original people and see if you can get it.”
Speaking of the song's composer AR Rahman and the lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Mohit Chauhan said, “Rahman sir is a quiet person, he doesn't say much but he's been also showing his disapproval, even Prasoon Joshi has been talking about it and from what I came across on social media, even people aren't really liking it."
On Thursday, AR Rahman shared a cryptic tweet, with no mention of the reprised version and he wrote: “Enjoy the original Masakali. No short-cuts, properly commissioned, sleepless nights, writes and re-writes. Over 200 musicians, 365 days of creative brainstorming with the aim to produce music that can last generations."
Meanwhile, Prasoon Joshi tagged the distributors of the song T-Series and tweeted: “All songs written for Delhi 6, including Masakali close to heart. Sad to see when original creation of AR Rahman, Prasoon Joshi and singer Mohit Chauhan insensitively utilised. Up to the conscience of T-Series.”
The original Masakali, beautifully picturised on Sonam Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan and a pigeon named Masakali, brought to life the nuances of old Delhi. It had an old world charm about it and resonates with today's generation. While Masakali 2.0, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tara Sutaria, has been shot in a room. It has been recreated by Tanishk Bagchi, sung by Tulsi Kumar and Sachet Tandon.
(With inputs from PTI)