You really shouldn’t touch classics for remixes
By Mohit Khosla
I don’t think Falguni Pathak and Neha Kakkar’s public spat over the latter’s new song, O Sajna, which is a remix of the former’s 1999 single, was for publicity.
The original song, Maine Payal Hai Chhankai, is an extremely popular song which released at the peak of the indie scene of the ’90s in India. People are very attached to Falguni’s songs. I remember listening to the song and watching the video on TV. It’s a sweet song we have all grown up romanticising—whether it was while nursing heartbreaks or imagining a date night with a crush. The song has a sentimental value, not just for millennials and Gen Zs, but even for our parents. I couldn’t listen to the new version.
Plus, Falguni has a huge fan following, especially during the Navratris, which is when people request her songs for the garba. Falguni’s anger is genuine because you really shouldn’t touch classics for remixes. And as a listener, I feel like it spoils the memory of the original song.
Another factor is that, for a long time, Neha Kakkar has only been releasing remixes.
Fortunately, the two singers seem to have made up and let it go now. Falguni made her point with her social media posts, sharing screenshots of fans criticising Neha’s version.
The song has been released. They’ve let bygones be bygones, and we should too.
Mohit Khosla, 26, is a communications professional who first heard Falguni’s songs when he was in Class 6.
Everyone is talked about. Everybody wins. Except the audience
By Karishma Kuenzang
Publicity squabbles are so rampant in 2022 that it’s difficult to tell what’s real and what’s not.
Of course, we’ve been consuming each other’s lives so much via social media during the pandemic that it’s relatively easy to tell. Or, so you would think. Take the Kardashians. Kim Kardashian’s relationship with Pete Davidson was allegedly just to grab eyeballs. And Khloe played on the fact that her partner had cheated on her earlier, to indicate it had happened again, just to get attention for their show’s new season!
India isn’t far behind. It’s a fact that celebrities call the paparazzi to get “spotted” at airports and restaurants. Celebs claim to be dating right before their movie releases. People even thought Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor’s pregnancy announcement was a publicity stunt for their film.
So, is it any wonder that Falguni Pathak and Neha Kakkar had a very public spat over the remix of Maine Payal Hai Chhankai for almost two weeks, but then ended up “making up” and doing a dandiya routine together on a show? Due to this public fight, audiences have listened to the original and the remixed versions. Everyone is talked about. Everybody wins. Except the audience there for the music.
Remember the boy who cried wolf? You’ve got to draw a line somewhere to retain people’s trust in you.
Karishma Kuenzang, 32, is a member of Team HT Brunch, who first heard Falguni Pathak when she was 10.
From HT Brunch, October 8, 2022
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