Having begun his career alongside evergreen musical legend Mohd. Rafi in the film Unees Bees on July 05, 1980, singer Udit Narayan has had a formidable singing career in Indian cinema for over 43 years. The milestone was commemorated at a special press meet in Mumbai, where the singer was joined by music director Mithoon and filmmaker Anil Sharma, as the trio previewed the song Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava from the upcoming film Gadar 2.
Featuring actors Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, the song is a re-presented version by Mithoon from the 2001 original, which was composed by Uttam Singh. Udit is also joined by co-singer Alka Yagnik on the reimagined version.
Udit Narayan
When asked how he looks back at his journey in music, an emotional Udit shares, “Do you want me to cry? I’m only thankful to the industry, my producers, directors, music directors, technicians and stars, because of whom I’m here. Most importantly, I’d like to thank the audience who have supported and blessed me for all these years.”
The pressure of recreating an original song would have been immense, given the social media scrutiny today. When asked how challenging it was to sing the song again, Udit responds, “It indeed was challenging. When I met Mithoon, I told him that he is one of the top composers of today. I have been his fan since Aashiqui 2 and I would always wonder when I would get a chance to work with him. With Gadar 2, the opportunity presented itself. So, when I expressed my initial concerns, Mithoon comforted me a lot and convinced me that I could sing, as per today’s time. The song’s essence remains as it is, but the treatment is contemporary.”
Music composer Mithoon shares he is averse to the concept of recreations
Sharing his view, Mithoon adds, “I’m averse to the word ‘recreation’. Because I feel that when you recreate, you give birth to something new. But, when the original itself is so beautiful, you just choose to present it differently. And that was my approach towards this song. My only responsibility towards the song was to retain its soul and not disturb its authenticity in any way. Because this song holds a lot of sentimental value for the people of our country. I was very mindful of that.”
When asked how director Anil Sharma views the contemporary version of a song that has been loved for over two decades, he chimes in, “Udd Jaa is the only film song that has now become a part of folklore. Till then, we have always heard of folk songs being used in Hindi cinema. While shooting for Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo I visited a town in Rajasthan and I came across locals singing the song. That gave me immense pride. But, when I see what Mithoon and Uditji have done with the newer version of the song, my happiness has only doubled.”
When prodded further about what the soundtrack of Gadar 2 entails, Mithoon reveals, “We are planning an exclusive musical concert and more details about that will be shared in the days to come.”
It has been learnt that the music album will also feature the recreation of Main Nikla O Gaddi Leke and an original, sung by Arijit Singh. Gadar 2 is slated to release in cinemas on August 11.
