‘Saawan mein lag gayi aag’ co-writer Mohsin Shaikh on challenge of recreating a hit

Mumbai (IANS) – New-age composer-lyricist Mohsin Shaikh feels recreating a popular song can be challenging, which is why one needs to select the right original.

Shaikh has co-written the recreated version Mika Singh’s pop hit of the nineties, “Sawan mein lag gayi aag”, along with rapper Badshah and singer-composer Payal Dev for the upcoming film “Ginny weds Sunny”. Mika has sung the new song, too, along with Neha Kakkar and Badshah.

“It is challenging to work on a song that is already a hit because you get criticised by the listeners, depending on the work you do,” observed Mohsin, adding: “You have to be careful while doing the recreation of a hit song. It’s very important to choose the right song for recreation and also how you take it to another level.”

While the film drops on Friday, the song was launched on September 28. Mohsin feels there has been a positive response to the song. “The audience is the main critics, they are the ones who appreciates your work if it is good,” he noted.

Shaikh recalled: “When I got the opportunity to write the lyrics of this recreation, I was excited because I have been listening to this song since childhood. It is a nineties superhit song. I got a call from composer Payal Dev eight months ago. She wanted me to write the recreation.”

“Ginny Weds Sunny” is directed by Puneet Khanna. The film features Yami Gautam and Vikrant Massey, and is scheduled to release on October 9 on Netflix.