Sonu Nigam, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, and Neeraj Shridhar on reinterpreting their own songs in Ishq Vishk to Main Nikla Gaddi Leke

Sonu Nigam, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, and Neeraj Shridhar talk about what changes when they remake their own vintage masterpieces, with Ishq Vishk being the newest addition.

With their fair share of blockbusters and disappointments, remakes in Bollywood music have become the standard these days. Over the years, many beloved songs have been reimagined, with fresh vocalists adding their unique styles to the timeless hits. But having the original vocalist back to sing the replica song adds a certain genuineness and piques interest in what’s new in this newest rendition. We spoke with a few of the iconic artists who have recently performed renditions of their beloved hits after decades apart to find out more about their comebacks.

Ishq Vishk Pyaar Vyaar was recreated by Sonu Nigam for the Ishq Vishk Rebound.

I did in fact sing the updated version twice. Ramesh (Taurani, producer) ji requested that I pick up the tempo after hearing my initial effort. I then gave it my all and sang it again, this time getting it perfect. It brought me great delight to rediscover something I had done over twenty years ago. I also missed working with composer Anu Malik ji, who wrote the original song. However, Rochak Kohli added a really fitting, unique, and astute touch to the tune. Rajesh Roshan ji provided me with the most validation. When we first met, I was unaware that his daughter, actor Pashmina Roshan, was making her feature film debut in Ishq Vishk. He claimed that when she forced him to listen to the song, he heard the previous rendition. He was quite appreciative of my new interpretation. He claimed that after twenty years, he had never heard a singer sound younger and even more enthusiastic.

For Coolie No. 1, Kumar Sanu recreated Mirchi Lagi Toh.

It was an entirely different experience to recreate Mirchi Lagi To. I tried modifying it for Varun Dhawan, who is considerably younger than Govinda was in the original, even though the previous version had been ingrained in my head and heart for a long time. DJ Chetas and Liso gave me the notion of today’s musical style. People need to realize that voice varies with age, since this is a universal truth. Additionally, the makers I collaborated with had faith in me and didn’t apply any pressure. I found it easy to sing up to their standards because of it. It brought back all the wonderful memories I had of working in the studio to record songs with Sameer da, the lyricist, and the composer pair Anand-Milind. This duet, like most of my others with Alka (Yagnik) ji, was a hit.

Main Nikal Gaddi Leke was recreated by Udit Narayan for Gadar 2.

The main distinction between singing Main Nikla Gaddi Leke in 2001 and again after 22 years was that Aditya, the singer-son of Narayan, joined me this time. Making a good song was the problem in 2001, but this time there was double the pressure because people might have thought we ruined a hit tune. I visited the composer Mithoon’s office every day for six months in an attempt to absorb the style he desired from me. I worked hard on it for six months to adjust the flow and diction to match the modern style. I wasn’t sure if I could duplicate the original’s level of success. Mithoon just sat and talked to me for two hours on the first day I went to record instead of forcing me to sing. A week after we actually taped, he told me that it felt like he had just begun his career. Before recording the new version, I never once listened to the original. Since music never fades, it was the power of the melody that brought the message.

Neeraj Shridhar: For Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, he recreated the title track.

I recorded the original Bhool Bhulaiyaa twice while I was relatively new because the first time we recorded, the audio file wasn’t recorded correctly. Actually, the song we recorded for the second time was the very first one to be recorded in composer Pritam’s studio. He called me back after a quarter of a century, requesting that I record the same song once more. Bhool Bhulaiyaa was re-created in the meantime, although it wasn’t very successful. There was some pressure this time around when I was recording the song, but I was instructed to sing it exactly like I had the first time. Since my voice is unique among vocalists, I sought to capture it in a way that would work for actor Akshay Kumar. This time, I had to sound a little sharper, cooler, and younger because I knew it was Kartik Aaryan. In just one and a half hours, I finished the record. Maintaining the same approach was difficult because you sing the song in a different way every time.