Chartbusting Bollywood songs of yore are back in a remixed version to sway Shillongites, says Rajib Roy
ROCK RULES. But Shillong is grooving to a new-found love –Bollywood super-hit songs of yesteryears served remixed.
Unlike Delhi or any other metro, the Meghalaya capital might not have dance clubs or discotheques to shake a leg or two. That, however, has not stopped people from swaying to unforgettable Kishore Kumar or Mohammed Rafi numbers – the original versions with acoustic upgrades or the remixed ones sung by god-knows-who.
Shillong’s saloons, paan shops, vegetable markets and numerous retail outlets are playing these songs while minding their own business. So are the local cabbies and passersby flaunting their latest mobile phones.
“It is incredible to see people listening to these songs packaged in new sounds. Chart-toppers of an era gone by, these songs were destined to come back because they are simply great,” said haircutter Awadesh Kumar who runs a saloon in Police Bazaar. But he wishes some of the remixes weren’t so loud with too much music packed in, as he stepped up the volume of the ‘Naino mein sapna’ from the remade Himmatwala. Bappi Lahiri had set the tunes to Indeewar’s lyrics for the original Jeetendra-Sridevi blockbuster.
One of Kumar’s clients and high school student Hilarth Sangma on the other hand was hooked to the 1981 hit pop track ‘Disco Deewane’ by Nazia Hassan. This song featured in the movie Student of the Year by Karan Johar.
Hilarth said: “Songs like ‘Disco Deewane’, ‘Taaki re taaki’ (another Himmatwala hit number), ‘Dhak dhak karne laga’ and pop sensation ‘Hawah, hawah’ still finds place in the modern era marked by complex music and experiments with different genres. But not all songs of yesteryears are sought after.”
College-goer Phranghok Khongwir echoed Hilarth and said that songs like ‘So gaya yeh jahaan’ and ‘Dhak dhak karne laga’ featuring again in several remake movies, still have a fresh flavor.
Such is the popularity of these songs that they are used extensively in television commercials. Ad film enthusiast Saurav Sen said that if a private life insurance company is using yesteryear hit ‘Aap yahaan aaye kisliye’ (from a Randhir Kapoor film), ‘Kaante nahin katte’ from the hit movie Mr India is being used in an ad for a two-wheeler company.
“Companies are always on the hunt for catchy lines and tunes and they find in the lyrics of these songs what they want to tell the customers,” said Sen, who hopes to study advertising following his degree finals. “These old melodies will continue to make comeback be it in the film world or the ad world as they are striking the right chord with the ultimate viewers,” he added.
There are also those who want originality to be maintained at all cost. Kampher Nongkseh, a dealer of traditional items in Iewduh loves playing old numbers only. A big fan of Kishore Kumar, he has all the songs sung by this legend – ‘Zindagi ke safar mein’, ‘Ghunguroo kee tarah’, ‘O Hansini’, ‘Phoolon ke rang se’, ‘Raat kali ek khwab mei aayi’ and many more. “I don’t like remixes and have actually seen many old songs being destroyed in the process,” he said. His neighbor, confectionary dealer Manoranjan Paul also batted for old scores and said, “Remixes are spoiling the real gems inside these songs.”
Government employee Amitangshu Mazumdar said that his day starts with the song ‘Pyar jab na diya, zindagi ne kabhi’ sung by Kishore Kumar. “Old is said to be gold, and these songs of yesteryears are truly golden as they have the power to invigorate an individual for the day’s work,” he said adding that television channels like 9X Music and Music Now, which keeps playing the old numbers are his favorites.
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