Controversy explained: Anuradha Paudwal's remarks on remixes, Arijit trigger row
Veteran singer Anuradha Paudwal recently opened up about the rampant trend of remixes in the industry and expressed her disdain over the same. Citing the example of her song Aaj Phir Tumpe, she said she was "in tears" after hearing the new version. However, this triggered controversy since many fans believed that she was taking a dig at the remixed version's singer—Arijit Singh.
Why does this story matter?
Several artists, over the years, have been vocal about how the trend of remixed versions kills the "soul of the originals." For instance, AR Rahman once said, "The more I see, the more it is distorted. The intention of the composer gets distorted." Music aficionados, too, are not always pleased and songs like Character Dheela 2.0 and Chaudhary have been panned by fans.
Paudwal had to hear own songs to find 'peace'
Paudwal recently told The Indian Express, "Someone asked me to listen to this (remix) from Dayavan (Aaj Phir Tum Pe). [They] told me it is a super-duper hit track and sent it to me." "I was in tears when I heard it; I immediately switched to YouTube and heard my original song...multiple times. Tab jaake mere mann mein shaanti aayi (Finally, I found peace)."
'My comments were not about the singer': Paudwal
After her comments triggered controversy, Paudwal has now tweeted, "I have always preferred original songs over remixes. My comment about Aaj Phir Tum Pe was about the remix...not the singer." "The remix should do justice to the original. Many songs from the '90s have been recreated but they don't do justice... We have also given tribute to music composers, but it was done decently."
Read the full tweet here
Know more about old, new versions
The remixed version of Aaj Phir Tumpe was featured in Vishal Pandya's 2014 film Hate Story 2 and was sung by Singh, Arko, and Samira Koppikar. Arko also composed the music and penned the lyrics of the sensual number. The original song, on the other hand, was part of the 1988 drama Dayavan and was crooned by Paudwal and Pankaj Udhas.
