Indians are reacting sharply to Bollywood’s remake of Pasoori, a Pakistani pop song which became a smashing hit in both nations last year.
Originally sung by Ali Sethi and Shae Gill, the quirky number featured in Coke Studios Pakistan – the country’s longest-running music show.
An Indian version of the song released to mixed reviews on Monday.
Many listeners said they found the rendition unnecessary. But others said they loved the feel of the new version.
Titled Pasoori Nu, the remake features in the upcoming Bollywood film, Satyaprem Ki Katha, and stars actors Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani.
The song’s official music video has viewed more than nine million times on YouTube since its release on Monday.
There had a lot of excitement around its release – given how the new version sung by Arjit Singh. As one of India’s biggest playback singers in recent years, and is penned by Sethi himself along with Indian writer Gurpreet Saini.
The song retains the original chorus along with its catchy pop hook. But overall has a more romantic feel to it.
Agg lavaan teriya majbooriya nu (set fire to your compulsions), Singh croons in perfect imitation of Sethi’s voice. As the actors dance and embrace each other against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains
The song earns a massive hit in India, where it garnered millions of views. It topped music charts for weeks and inspired a flurry of remakes.