Music composer AR Rahman took to Twitter to express his displeasure towards Masakali 2.0. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)
The release of T-Series’ Masakali 2.0 has angered not just the fans but also the creators of the original song. The song was originally featured in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra directed Delhi-6 with music by AR Rahman and lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. The film starred Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor.
Soon after the song’s release on Wednesday, AR Rahman took to Twitter and wrote, “No short cuts, properly commissioned, sleepless nights, writes and re-writes. Over 200 musicians, 365 days of creative brainstorming with the aim to produce music that can last generations. A team of a director, a composer and a lyricist supported by actors, dance directors and a relentless film crew.”
Rahman tagged director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and lyricist Prasoon Joshi who further supported his argument. Mehra shared on Twitter, “#Masakali #Delhi6 Created with love & passion an iconic song that has to be preserved. Beware of the re-mix it will damage your eardrums.”
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra added, “#Delhi6 the movie & it’s songs created with so much Luv & passion , let’s save the original creations for generations to come. #saynotoRemixes.”
“All songs written for #Delhi6 including #Masakali close to heart,sad to see when original creation of @arrahman @prasoonjoshi_ & singer @_MohitChauhan insensitively utilised. Upto the conscience of @Tseries. Hopefully the fans will stand for originality. @RakeyshOmMehra,” Prasoon Joshi said via Twitter.
Singer Mohit Chauhan showed his solidarity by sharing AR Rahman and Prasoon Joshi’s tweets. Actor Sonam Kapoor also shared Prasoon’s tweet.
Singer Shreya Ghoshal also reshared AR Rahman’s Twitter post on Instagram to show her solidarity. Musician Ankur Tewari shared, “OG forever.”
Rahman also shared a cryptic post on Instagram that many believe is his reaction to the new version of the song. The post read, “The strongest man is he who is able to control his anger.”
Masakaali Massacred ! https://t.co/YFXHgnTJit
— Swanand Kirkire (@swanandkirkire) April 8, 2020
Director Hansal Mehta also criticised the remake as he wrote, “This ‘recreation’ of old songs can stop if the public rejects them. The numbers on YouTube for godawful versions of old songs are huge and hence music companies keep producing them. Stop viewing the videos. Stop listening to the songs. Stop playing them at events. They will stop. We are complicit in this bastardisation of old songs. It is seen as a small price to pay for getting your film produced. Truth : it is a travesty. It is an insult to the original creator by an ecosystem that thrives on shit. Stop consuming shit. People will stop producing shit.”
“Yes. I am reacting to the awful, ear shattering #Masakali version. But check its YouTube views in 48 hrs. Then see how DJs blast it at events. And how people groove to the godawful version. Shit sells. While we cringe, somebody is laughing his way to the bank,” he concluded.
The new version of Masakali has been recreated by Tanishk Bagchi, who is known for many recreations, including Dilbar and Aankh Maarey.