I am my own Bappida!

“Chinamma Chilakkama ….Choodu Choodu Choodu,
Chinamma Chilakkamma…. Aadu Aadu Aadu!
Koochamma, Uravamma, Tulasamma, Raagamma…
Chinamma Chilakkama!!!!”
I have heard this song before - Yes I have heard this song before… And I know it was a Rahman song... A Chorus song with that husky Sukhiwinder’s voice. While I hear the same song in Tamil in the car, I sing the original version thinking to myself how M F Hussain’s disaster has tortured poor Tamil Audiences as well… But then my much in tune (?) husband doesn’t hum this one – Ohk! Chalo, so MF
jee spared the dubbing of Meenaxi! The Great!!!!When Film “Meenaxi” - A tale of 3 Cities hit the screens and protestors in turn also hit the screens protesting against almost everything!!!! (and in the end failed to stay even in one city when released.) Meenaxi was protested from the moment go because of practically everything! Be it, MF Hussain or the film itself or the qawwali, in fact could be some Godess’s biology painting also…I remember practically nothing of Meenaxi as a movie. To me Tabu's Meenaxi was just a musical treat, thanks to A R Rehman. He loaded Meenaxi with nice songs like (mentioned above) “Chinamma Chilakkamma- Titttleeee (butterfly) daboch lee maine” and “Ye rishta kya kehlata hai…” But most of all, I was most fond of this qawwali – Noor Un-Alah! I think apart from 100 thousand other reasons against almost invisible but much around MF Hussain (And may God bless him for that), the song Noor-Un-Alah song was one other reason that troubled the attention of Muslim Clerics…Again, I remember vaguely – in those good old… Delhi days…FM refused to play that Qawwali all of a sudden. I think it had to do something with the picturization of the songs on prostitutes vis-à-vis the holy Qawwali (Apparently). Sorry, not done! And so, Tittleeee flew away…suddenly Meenaxi left theatres! But one thing that remained and most outstanding thing was a certain Kunal Kapoor of Rang De Basanti fame!
Coming back to my post… while the stereo was going all Tamil-ly “Chinamma Chilakkamma”…I started humming the original version, arguing - the song is in Hindi as well…And suddenly my Husband is weirdly annoyed! He wonders why I would hum a song in Telugu; claim it’s origin as Hindi – while listening to something in Tamil! For that brief moment, I couldn’t explain much and burst out laughing real loudly!!!! One of those lol types! Anyways, I didn’t bother explaining to him, and ignored it but I had already fetched a new peg for another post! I am my own Bappida! Yes welcome to the new remixed world of Bappida kaa gaan, Baapida ke hee naam! (Is that Possible? Go Figure!) But Unlike Bappida who’s (also) famous for plagiarism – Oh sorry inspiration – The now famous and legends of the music industry are for once genuinely inspired! And by none other than themselves! Yes and they are remixing their own songs. Take Legendary Illayaraja for instance, His film“Cheeni-Kum” s same titled song is nothing but a good 18 year old song called “Manram Vantha” from Mani Ratnam’s slick film Mouna Raagam. And perhaps Rehman thought if Illayaraja Sarr… can do it why not I? Why, hardly anybody saw Meenaxi, plus such good songs were being wasted… So kya karein, remix them – and guess what – “The Chinamma Chilakamma and “Ye Rishta kya kehlaataa hai” are now hit numbers in Kollywood, s new film called Sakarakkatti (meaning – Mishree/Sugarballs)
Is the trend of remakes God or Bad….? To me, for once nothing wrong…. I don’t see anything wrong at all in doing this. You can’t steal you own thing! And do what you want with your songs… In fact its much better, to see the old songs in a new beat and new scenarios…Its almost hard to believe that this crunchy number of Cheeni-Kum could have been the real back bone for the film Mouna Raagam – in a more serous way.. Amazing…! Sometimes the recycle can work and sometimes they won’t, but No harm in experimenting the same song in different genres and age. I think it’s far more difficult.

We can always wonder; if creativity is diminishing; I think it is very simple: A good song is a good song is a good song! What say:-?