Rapper Baba Sehgal calls a spade a spade. Therefore, it didn’t come as a surprise when he took to Twitter on Sunday to express his displeasure at the trend of recreating classic songs in Bollywood. “It’s time Bollywood stop recreating/remixing old classic film soundtracks... the quality, instrumentation and the output in doing so is sad and pathetic... Please tap the right talent as we have it in abundance here and STOP destroying & ruining the original. It’s become more of COPYWOOD than Bollywood (sic),” he wrote.
Read: Baba Sehgal raps Bollywood for recreating old songs, calls new remixes ‘sad and pathetic’
Though Baba sees no harm in the attempt to create a new version of the songs, but in most cases, he feels the makers forget that the versions deserve better treatment. “I feel while attempting a new version, the essence of the original is getting destroyed. There’s nothing new in most of the recreated songs,” he says.
Stating that there should be something for the listeners to enjoy, Baba elaborates, “We need to experiment with instruments and lyrics, if required. Otherwise, what are we remaking? There’s a certain responsibility that comes along when you rework such hit songs. You can’t disrespect the compositions by not making something wonderful.”
Baba shares that he has grown up listening to these songs in the ’90s. So, when he hears the remade versions, he doesn’t find them good enough. “I think the makers of these recreated songs must also give opportunities to fresh talent. I’ve come across videos where singers performed cover versions of hit tracks, presenting them in an amazing way. These people, I feel, should get the opportunity to recreate songs. There’s also this bunch of new kids on the block who are part of reality shows. At times the way they perform a song is really praiseworthy,” he opines.
{{/usCountry}}Baba shares that he has grown up listening to these songs in the ’90s. So, when he hears the remade versions, he doesn’t find them good enough. “I think the makers of these recreated songs must also give opportunities to fresh talent. I’ve come across videos where singers performed cover versions of hit tracks, presenting them in an amazing way. These people, I feel, should get the opportunity to recreate songs. There’s also this bunch of new kids on the block who are part of reality shows. At times the way they perform a song is really praiseworthy,” he opines.
{{/usCountry}}Asked if he feels taking a stand against such a popular trend in Bollywood might not go down well with everyone, Baba says he isn’t thinking too much. “I don’t think I will be misunderstood,” he says, adding, “We are used to both praise and criticism. Also, I speak from my heart and here I’m just saying what I felt. I am neither judging anyone, nor is my intention to harm anyone. Still, if there’s someone who gets upset, I will have to let them be. I have the right to say what I feel and hope things work out better.”
Author tweets @Shreya_MJ
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