Bollywood and Song and dance go hand in hand. So much so that a lot depends on the kind of music a film has to offer. Makers and lead actors go all out to promote the foot-tapping numbers from their upcoming films and hit a jackpot if a particular number becomes a chartbuster. But with over 100 years later, Indian cinema has more than often drawn influences from old popular songs or soundtracks. In fact, makers nowadays don’t mind adding a remix version of a popular song or an old classic to gain instant popularity.
The recent one to hit the remix bandwagon is Made In China song Odhani featuring Rajkummar Rao and Mouni Roy. The song is an instant hit and has been trending on YouTube since its release. While many remix versions come and go this particular song strikes the right chords. Odhani is originally a Gujarati folk song which is very popular during Navratri celebrations. No points in guessing the timing of the release of the song as the makers wanted to cash in on the Navratri season that is about to hit the die-hard Garba goers.
But the reason why we have dedicated a strict google approved 250 plus words is that remixing a popular song has become a fatal trend and not many get it right. Thankfully Odhani has got it right! It retains the original Gujarati feel to it and has also added a millennial tadka keeping the essence of it intact. While those familiar with this Gujarati hit should also know that Dandiya queen Falguni Pathak has made people dance for years when she performs this number although Sonu Kakkar and Darshan Raval take the recreated version a notch higher.
In the recent past, the composers of songs like Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast (Machine-2017), Humma Humma (Ok Jaanu), The Jawaani Song (SOTY 2 - 2019) and many more seem to be in a rush to add a remixed version of an old popular hit song. To be fair the attempts have been fine but when one still wants to go back and listen to the older version then the recreated one is definitely not a hit in the making.
As Odhani continues to burn the music charts we only hope that filmmakers and music directors don’t succumb to pressures of giving a hit and aping the tried and tested, but on the contrary, keep the soul of an old song intact and add the required bit of youthfulness to it.
Image Source: YouTube