Punjabi songs are always the biggest foot-tappers, booty-shakers and crowd-pleasers. Thus, when Bollywood discovered them, they were just perfect for all those dance numbers a film's soundtrack needs to make people remember it long after it has left the theatres.
However, there's a new trend in Tinsel-Town nowadays: Take a famous old Punjabi pop or hip-hop song, give it the Bollywood dance treatment — snazzy visuals, groovy dance moves and a really peppy mix — and you have a surefire hit on the cards with about half the work needed to churn out a big hit. And since the original was already popular, you are already betting on the winning horse!
Here are six such examples for you to sample:
1. Kala Chashma: This song from "Baar Baar Dekho" (2016) was a hit from the moment it hit YouTube and the TV screens. Add to that the dancing due of Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra, and there was no stopping it! Compare that with the original by Amar Arshi, released back in the 1990s, with only the music having retained its soul!
Original:
New:
2. Nachange Saari Raat: The new one, from "Junooniyat" (2016), has the sizzling hot Yami Gautam making the most of her chemistry with Pulkit Samrat on screen as the Meet brothers, Tulsi Kumar and Neeraj Shridhar weave their vocal magic. Compare that to the performance by Taz from Stereo Nation both behind and in front of the camera in the original, which was part of the Album "Oh! Laila" (2000) and you might just want to return to the new one.
Original:
New:
3. Rail Gaddi: This song from the 1980s and 90s has seen many people trying to render it, and is a perennial favourite among children as well as adults who have children trapped within them when it comes to parties as well as social occasions. It is now making a comeback with the Prabhu Deva-Sonu Sood-starrer "Tutak Tutak Tutiya" (2016).
So far, we have only seen the "Rail Gaddi" song, but don't be so surprised if the original "Tutak Tutak Tutak Tutiya," sung by Malkit Singh, makes a comeback.
New:
4. Rock Tha Party: This earworm of a hit by Bombay Rockers from the mid 2000s has been a party staple ever since its release, and has been the singer-songwriter duo's greatest moneymaker so far. It also was a watershed of sorts for hip hop in India. However, try as it might, it could not brighten up an already dark film that had John Abraham in it, and "Rocky Handsome" (2016) sunk without a trace. Only the new version seemed to stay afloat.
Original:
New:
5. Aaja Mahi Aaja Mahi: RDB were the rising stars of Punjabi pop and hip-hop music in India, and it seemed they could do nothing wrong. This song from 2005 only bolstered that reputation. However, when the makers of Akshay Kumar-starrer "Singh is Bliing" (2015) decided to use it as one of their numbers, it failed to create too many ripples. One reason could be you had to wait 43 seconds into the new one for the nostalgia of the old one to kick in.
Original:
New:
6. Gal Ban Gayi: This party anthem by Sukhbir is still played in its original form in many parties. And then YOYO Honey Singh decided to make a hip-hop song out of it. Now, this is just a music video and strictly not a Bollywood song, but it can qualify, given that the driving force behind it is no indie label by T-Series, and the video stars two hot and happening actors.
Here's the remix, released soon after the original. It's still pretty close to the old one.
New:
Did we miss any? Please feel free to tell us. We are all ears.
