Oh God. One more remix,” one hears Karan Johar’s voice in the recent trending song Aankh maare, from the film Simmba. Johar’s one-liner echoes the sentiment of the nation, when almost every film has a recycled and rehashed version of an old hit anthem. Aankh maare had 1,05,092,941 views on YouTube, in two weeks. It first appeared in the film Tere Mere Sapne (1996), and has been “recreated” by music director Tanishk Baghchi. Even if you don’t register the name, it’s near impossible you have missed the sound that Bagchi creates — Hawa hawai (Tumhari Sulu), Rashke qamar (Badshaho), Dilbar (Satyameva Jayate) and even Tum ko hum pe pyar aaya from the yet-to-be released Zero.
The Kolkata-born musician clarifies that his music is a recreation and not a remix alone. “There is a huge difference between a recreation and a remix. The first song that I recreated was Humma humma from Bombay for Ok Jaanu. Almost everyone in the music industry has remixed this song, but I always felt that they spoiled it — it kept giving the feel of a club mix. One can’t pay homage or a tribute to an iconic anthem with a measly club mix. To recreate it, an anthem — we need the research and intention in place,” says the 39-year-old. He adds, “I wish to create a bridge between the old and the new. At least when they put the song on YouTube, some other song suggestions will also come, which otherwise people won’t listen to. I know even when people listened to Aankh maare, they were like kharaab kar diya. But honestly when was the last time they heard the old Arshad Warsi version? Aisa toh nahin hai ki as if they are listening to that song on loop.”
Born to parents who were music teachers — a Punjabi mom and a Bengali father — music was something Bagchi ran from, not towards. “Music was around me. I was not keen to be a musician — as I felt there was no money in it. When you have no money, then the fruition of your passion takes a long time. I didn’t think that I had the patience for a long-drawn-out struggle. I had plans to be a pilot in the Air Force but because of an injury, early on, I couldn’t materialise this dream,” adds Bagchi, an almunus of City College, Kolkata.
School and college fests catapulted him to the stage, where he sang and performed — something that was an uphill task for the introvert. “Even today when I have to step out for a meeting, or a social event, I have to really prep. I am quite happy being in my studio with my work. But back then, I slowly edged into it and my mother said that I should keep at my music. I started teaching. I also collaborated with some DJs in Kolkata, where they started using my original compositions and spinning them in nightclubs. I wrote my own songs,” says Bagchi.
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