A.R. Rahman openly criticises ‘Masakali 2.0’, asks fans to enjoy original instead

The composer took to social media to express his displeasure with the latest T-Series music video starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tara Sutaria

April 09, 2020 10:44 am | Updated December 03, 2021 06:32 am IST

A.R. Rahman

A.R. Rahman

In a departure from his usual reticent self, composer AR Rahman has openly criticised the new remix of his song Masakali from 2009 movie Delhi 6Masakali 2.0 — that was released yesterday by music label T-Series.

 

A music video starring Sidharth Malhotra and Tara Sutaria dropped, with music by Tanishk Bagchi and sung by Tulsi Kumar and Sachet Tandon, though Rahman is credited as the original composer. The 2009 Masakali original was sung by Mohit Chauhan with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi.

 

The remix has opened to mixed reviews, and Rahman clearly isn’t impressed with his songs being re-created, as he took to Twitter sharing the link of the original number, along with a note that read, “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. Lots of love and prayers, A.R. Rahman.”

 

The Oscar award-winning composer later even took to Instagram as well and shared an imagine of a burning man (to express his emotions) with a caption reading, “The strongest man is he who is able to control his anger.”

Delhi-6 director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra took the criticism a notch higher, saying that the remix would "damage eardrums" on Twitter. “#Masakali #Delhi6 created with love and passion an iconic song that has to be preserved. Beware of the remix it will damage your eardrums,” he posted.

Lyricist Prasoon Joshi, who heads the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), also wrote of his disappointment: “All songs written for #Delhi6 including #Masakali close to heart, sad to see when original creation of @arrahman @prasoonjoshi_ &singer @_MohitChauhan insensitively utilised. Up to the conscience of @Tseries. Hopefully the fans will stand for originality. @RakeyshOmMehra."

Rahman’s earlier popular tracks such as Humma Humma, Urvashi, Muqabla are among others that have been remixed. While the composer hasn’t explicitly stated earlier that he’s against the newer adaptations, he has never endorsed them either.

Masakali 2.0 has over 14 million views and is in the top 5 trending videos on YouTube India currently since its release on Wednesday.

 

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