When Will Hindi Music Industry's Obsession With Remixes End?

Earlier this week, singer Neha Kakkar released the remake of the famous song 'Maine Payal Hai Chhankai' by Falguni Pathak and I think we were better off without it. In the last couple of years, we've heard a lot of remixes and remakes of popular songs and they got heavily criticised too. Then why are musicians like Neha Kakkar not taking the hint?

The trend to rev up old songs with beats and create something new isn't a brand-new idea. Independent artists and bands have remade classic songs like the popular pop group Bombay Vikings released their version of ‘Main Chali Main Chali’ and 'Hawa Mein Udta Jaye', and they were well appreciated by the listeners. Even though the older generation still has their emotions invested in yesteryear songs and they don't prefer the tampering that classic songs are subjected to in order to cater to the interests of a younger age group.

What Is Wrong With O Sajna?

Neha Kakkar's latest remake sees her both singing and featuring in the music video along with Dhanashree Verma and Priyank Sharma. The music is composed by Tanishk Bagchi and Lalit Sen. The musicians have remixed Falguni Pathak's iconic 'Maine Payal Hai Chhankai' and the video also shows the modern version of the original story. The tune of the song is the same with various changes in lyrics and presentation. Even though the song is trending #3 on YouTube with more than 18 million views, it has received a lot of backlash on social media. People have criticised Kakkar for ruining the essence and the innocence of Pathak's version. Most people are calling it unnecessary and yet another misfire from the likes of Neha Kakkar, Tanishk Bagchi, Tony Kakkar, who have made a career out of recycling old songs with little original work to their name.

A Twitter user has even asked

Has Neha Kakkar single handedly taken some contract of literally spoiling all good songs?

This is contract killing of songs.
Please recognize this as a crime.

P.s ready for attack

Falguni Pathak herself seems to be displeased with the remake as she has been sharing tweets and comments on her social media page of people criticising Neha Kakkar. This backlash to remixes is not new. Listeners have developed a fatigue now, craving original work from our musicians. It is no wonder then that even average songs like "Kesariya" from Brahmastra have made it to the top of music charts, simply because they offer something original and unheard.

Who is to be blamed for this?

The songs are getting criticised for sure but the views and streams and use of these songs on social media tell a different story. All the remade songs have done great business-wise and have proved that bad publicity ultimately earns big profits for the makers of such songs. But what's the reason behind the popularity of these remixes? The reason could be that these remixes come across as fresh music to young listeners who are not as emotionally invested in original songs, as Gen X or millennial listeners might be. For instance, Falguni Pathak's song in question here is of sentimental value for millennials who grew up listening to it but the new generation might be enjoying Neha Kakkar's version more.

Suggested Reading: 7 Web Series That Will Be A Great Weekend Watch

The Hindi music industry is currently living off remixes and songs with beats that cater to the social media trends and suit the needs of a short format of 30 secs because the attention span of the audience has also decreased. However, musicians need to keep in mind the fact that while trends change good music is timeless. The music industry needs to focus on the quality of the songs over the quantity of streams, otherwise, it will leave a legacy that'll soon be erased from public memory.

Views expressed are the author's own.