Bollywood has often times come under scrutiny for remaking timeless golden tunes into painful melodies that don’t sit well with audiences.
This time around, the iconic Arjit Singh, otherwise known for his beautiful compositions, has landed in hot water for remaking the Pakistani version of the classic ‘Sayonee’, the 1997 release from the Sufi rock band Junoon.
Having asked his feelings about the release, lead Salman Ahmad took to share how it was a moment of pride that composers all across the world chose to remake the iconic song to date.
“I composed ‘Sayonee’ in 1998. It’s been 22 years and it has been such a hit since. The song itself has been revamped thousands of times,” he said.
Mentioning copyrights, he also spoke about how many took to seek his permission to use the song over the years.
“This isn’t the first time someone has asked me to give them permission to make their own version of the song,” he narrated. “India’s Arijit Singh has been asking me for the last five years to let him sing ‘Sayonee’.”
“I told him that I wouldn’t have a problem as long as two conditions were met – one, that no sentiments were hurt and another that it should be a message of love.”
Salman also mentioned how he granted permission for the remake four years ago, and how only last week he was randomly informed that a trailer was on way.
Speaking to the host Mubashir Luqman, his aura was secure knowing that at the end of the day, the song, whether liked by the public or not, was a revival of the original and a tribute to the iconic music released years ago.
“I always sang from my heart,” he said, narrating the tales of how ‘Jazba Junoon’ and ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ were melodies that were sung without any pressure. “No one ever said this is a script, this is a melody and this is a production. I always sang what came to my heart.”
Adding that Pakistan’s talent surpasses the infrastructure available to artists to harbour themselves to the fullest, the rock guitarist mentioned how the past 70 years were proof that Pakistan’s television dramas, urdu poetry and music was legendary – pleading the government to facilitate the upcoming stars and make their journey worthwhile.
