Songs: Original V/S Remake

Note for the readers: all the views expressed in the article are my personal views and are not meant to hurt the sentiments of others. This is a pretty controversial topic, so the reader might have opposite views regarding it.Song remixes are a huge trend these days which are packed with huge criticism for altering an old classic. Almost every movie released has one or more remixes.Well, we all know the demand and supply rule. So, it’s clear that people do show interest and that’s why there is a huge trend. Or if we look at it from the other side, is a remix a shortcut to success in the pomp show world of Bollywood. Several people suggest that the music industry today looks for a shortcut by picking old ones and adding a new twist to them. We all know what it means. The main phrase of the song remains the same, the beats too are unchanged except for adding some digital beats and Voila! Here is a brand-new song. But it isn’t. Adding

Two-three lines in the middle of the song don’t make this as yours. Millions of remakes being made but hardly anyone gives the credits to the original creator or asks for permission to touch their masterpiece and play with it. We can say that there can be a lack of uniqueness because nowadays Bollywood is not going for try-outs. They just want to get a song to gain fame in a short span. The money-making industry, as some people say, you know. There is hardly any original big hit these days. Even if it is then it’s pretty hard to beat the popularity remixes get. Some composers and singers are specifically are known just for the remakes they do. Some people also say that if song remakes are a trend, it only means that musicians should feel challenged enough to make their original compositions better. Recently a very renowned song composer stated Bollywood to be turning into a copy wood

Talking about remakes so much, but ever wondered about the story of the introduction of such mixings? The trend of remixing old songs began in the 90s when classics like “Saiyaan Dil Mein Aana Re” and “Kaliyon Ka Chaman” became big hits. The entire album of Jawani Deewani got remixed by one artiste or the other. It isn’t like remake culture totally sucks, but you really can’t let them replace the original ones. Our Indian culture and music are so rich with such a great variety of instruments and different vernacular music. So, we should keep trying because we are yet to find so many veiled jewels. India is now becoming a huge global model for many countries. Concepts like yoga and Ayurveda have been a huge way to reach the world and it's high time we start celebrating our culture and music too. Indian classical music is way too diverse. So many dialects from every single region have their glorious things to tell.

We have so many upcoming talents with their original creations. But alas! They are not much recognized. We should encourage new voices and composers by having faith in them for making unique music rather than keep following what is already done.I rest my case with the hope to see more original songs than the remixes of some good old classics!

By: Anvi Tyagi

Delhi World Public School