'SOME REMIXES BROKE MY HEART'
Says singer Anuradha Paudwal, adding that good remixes are very rare; feels most “sound like they’ve torn a Banarasi sari and made a bikini out of it”
Arecipient of the Padma Shri and a National Film Award winner, playback singer Anuradha Paudwal, who has sung many popular songs in the ’80s and ’90s, was one of the most sought-after singers till 2000. But with the dawn of a new millennium, she shifted her focus to singing only devotional songs. She admits that she consciously refrained from singing film music. “The kind of songs I sang, were no longer being made,” she states.
Talking about the quality of music today, she says, “Every era has its own style and one can’t say if it’s good or bad. Art imitates life. Today, we have an audience who watches content from all over the world, so the music needs to have a universal appeal. One can’t expect them to enjoy a Bharat Bhushan (actor-singer) kind of song. Today, the singers and composers are trying to do justice to what is expected of them which is the need of the hour. But there are some musicians, who aren’t that good (laughs) and God forbid, if one of their songs becomes a hit, then everyone will want a song like that. Then, it will be a sure-shot suicide for music.”
Paudwal recently shot for an episode on the singing reality show Indian Idol 11 and enjoyed the trip down memory lane. She says, “I was on cloud nine and was overwhelmed with the love from all the singers on the show. They sang my songs and did a fantastic job. Bahut badhiya mahaul create ho gaya tha.”
The singer of many popular tracks including Dheere Dheere Se Meri Zindagi (Aashiqui; 1990), Tu Mera Hero Hai (Hero; 1983), Dil Hai Ke
Manta Nahin (Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin; 1991), Dhak Dhak Karne Laga (Beta; 1992), among others, Paudwal isn’t opposed to remixes. While many of her songs have been recreated and remixed, she hopes that the new composers keep the essence of her songs intact.
While she reveals liking the remix of Tamma Tamma (Badrinath Ki Dulhania; 2017), there are some remixes, which Paudwal doesn’t want to name, and doesn’t approve of. Talking about them, the singer says, “Some remixes broke my heart. One has to consider the mood and situation of the song. There are some remixes that sound like they have torn a beautiful Banarasi sari and made a bikini out of it. I console myself with the thought that maybe the current generation of composers love my songs and interpret it in their own way.”
Today, we have an audience that watches content from all over the world, so the music needs to have a universal appeal. ANURADHA PAUDWAL, SINGER