“We have retained the soul-essence of the original cult-songs (composed by Uttam Singh) of ‘Gadar’ in latest ‘Gadar-2’, “ clarified Mithun Sharma and Anil Sharma. --- by Chaitanya Padukone

“Do you all want me to cry ?”,  asked veteran versatile singer  Udit Narayan Jha. The senior talented playback singer was on the verge of emotional tears at the music-centric media meet of Gadar 2  held on July 5^th.  That’s because  Udit had begun his singing career alongside evergreen musical legend Mohd. Rafi-saab with the film Unnees Bees on July 05, 1980,  Reacted to the ‘QSQT” ‘Papa Kehte Hain’ singer Udit, “ My successful completion of 43 years singing in Bollywood is all thanks to the love and blessings of my loyal fans,  the audiences, the film-makers, the music directors, the technicians, and of course, the male star-actors on whom my playback voice has been picturized, “ said Udit  Narayan who also jestfully remarked earlier that with all the media attention he “felt like a hero”.The musical milestone of Udit’s career was commemorated at The Red Bulb mini-theatre in Mumbai, where the star singer was joined by both music director Mithoon Sharma and veteran filmmaker Anil Sharma. This was followed by the media previewing the song Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava in the upcoming film Gadar 2. In the presence of the talented trio Anil-Udit-Mithoon.  This song ‘Udd Jaa Kaale Kaawa’  features actors Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, the song is a re-arranged version by Mithoon from the Gadar-2001 original track, which was composed by the brilliant music director and violin maestro  Uttam Singh.The pressure of rearranging an original cult song would have been immense, given the social media scrutiny and monitoring by music lovers today. When asked how challenging it was to sing the song again, Udit responds, “It indeed was very challenging.  I have been composer Mithoon’s fan since Aashiqui 2 and I would always wonder whether I would ever get a chance to work with him. With Gadar 2, the opportunity materialized So, when I expressed my initial concerns, Mithoon comforted me a lot and convinced me that I could sing, as per today’s time. The song’s soul and essence remain as it is, but the treatment is contemporary. with the latest technology.  Keeping in mind ‘Gadar-2 hero Sunny-paaji’s current age, Mithoon asked me to sing in a softer low-octave whisper dulcet tone with controlled breathing. Considering my current age I had to put in a lot of extra mehnat and take a brief break after every mukhda-antara during the recording of the re-arranged song. After the recording was over, Mithoon said my singing was like a flowing stream”, revealed Udit. who was overwhelmed to observe that within a few days, the re-arranged song has already crossed 50 million views and is being appreciated by today’s youth as well as the previous two generations Sharing his view, Mithoon adds, “I’m averse to the word ‘recreation’. Because I feel that when you recreate, you give birth to something new. But, when the original itself composed by Uttam Singh and written by ‘late’ legendary Anand Bakshi-saab, is so beautiful, you just choose to present it with minor changes And that was my respectful approach towards this song. My only responsibility towards the song was to retain its soul and not disturb its authenticity in any way. Because this original cult song ‘Udd Jaa Kaale Kaawa’ holds a lot of sentimental value for the people and music lovers of our country. I was very mindful of that.” explained Mithoon.

When asked how director Anil Sharma views the contemporary version of a song that has been loved for over two decades, he reacts with, “Udd Jaa Kaale is perhaps the only original film song that has now become a part of folklore. Till then, we have always heard of folk songs being adapted in Hindi cinema. While shooting for Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo I visited a town in Rajasthan and I came across locals singing the song. That gave me immense pride. But, when I see what Mithoon and Uditji have done with the newer version of the song, my happiness has only doubled.” shared Anil Sharma.Director Anil Sharma also clarified that he “had and always has high regards and respect for Gadar original composer Uttam Singh's caliber. However times have changed and we wanted someone from the younger generation who could create new sounds and we felt Mithoon would be more apt and suitable with today's latest modern technology so we brought in Mithoon,”, explained Anil.

Meanwhile, Filmfare Award winner ( for movie ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’1997 ) veteran violin maestro and acclaimed composer  Uttam Singh exclusively speaking to me said, “ I am happy that there are only minor changes and they have retained the soul and purity of my original composition of Udd Jaa Kaale. It makes me so happy,  that even today after 22 years, classic timeless cult original songs of ‘Gadar’ composed by me still connect with the masses and are evergreen. I still fondly remember that perfectionist singer Udit Narayan had done almost three to four retakes for all the Gadar songs. Udit’s passion and dedication is evident in the gaayaki. And all the songs proved to be an anmol khazaana,” said Uttam Singh when I spoke to him,  The outspoken Uttam-jee also added that “these days you rarely get to hear pure original soulful lyrical songs, and most of them are copy-paste or directly adapted from already popular retro-chartbusters or Western songs,”Sharing his view, Mithoon adds, “I’m averse to the word ‘recreation’. Because I feel that when you recreate, you give birth to something new. But, when the original itself is so beautiful, you just choose to present it differently. And that was my approach towards this song. My only responsibility towards the song was to retain its soul and not disturb its authenticity in any way. Because this song holds a lot of sentimental value for the people of our country. I was very mindful of that.”

When asked how director Anil Sharma views the contemporary version of a song that has been loved for over two decades, he chimes in, “Udd Jaa is the only film song that has now become a part of folklore. Till then, we have always heard of folk songs being used in Hindi cinema. While shooting for Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo I visited a town in Rajasthan and I came across locals singing the song. That gave me immense pride. But, when I see what Mithoon and Uditji have done with the newer version of the song, my happiness has only doubled.”When asked further about what the soundtrack of Gadar 2  will reveal more songs, Mithoon reveals, “We are planning an exclusive musical live concert and more details about that will be shared in the days to come.”

The three important elements of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha that still resonates deeply with the masses are it’s gripping storyline, heavy-duty action and soul-stirring music, giving out a strong message of love, patriotism and the power of family. The music album of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha has stood the test of time and still remains a top-choice amongst music lovers of all the generations.

Song Udd Jaa Kaale has been trending since many days and has received more than 60 thousand comments and over 50 million plus views, across various social media platforms. At the event Udit Narayan, Mithoon and director Anil Sharma also gave a clue of the next Gadar-2 song, Dil Jhoom !Helmed by Director-Producer Anil Sharma, and produced by Zee Studios, the (1971 Indo-Pakistan war era) period movie stars superstar Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh  Sharma  in lead roles in the primary cast.

The ‘Gadar-2’ music album will also feature the recreation of Main Nikla O Gaddi Leke and also an original, sung by Arijit Singh.  With its romantic-patriotic theme  Gadar 2 is slated to release in cinemas on August 11, 2023 just four days prior to Independence Day ( August 15).