It was with singer Falguni Pathak’s Maine Payal Hai Chhankai music video that actor Vivan Bhathena made his debut in showbiz in 1999. After the recent war of words between Pathak and Kakkar on the song’s recreation, the actor says that his inbox is flooded with messages from people expressing their disappointment.

“I have been getting messages with people saying, ‘How can Neha do this?’ or ‘She has spoiled the song’. Each generation has its own version of things. You can’t say I will only watch (actors) Michael Keaton’s Batman (1989) or Sean Connery’s Bond films. You can’t be angry at somebody for trying to reinvent it (the song). If she (Kakkar) is doing well and the music is doing well, it is okay. It is a homage to the original song,” the 43-year-old explains.

The Sooryavanshi (2021) actor shares his memories of how he got his big break, and says, “I had gone with a friend who was doing a trial and a casting person asked me if I wanted to do the video. And I was like, ‘Why not?’ It was fate.”

Bhathena is happy that the music video of the 1999 song made such an impact that people still remember it. “Directors Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru created magic with the song and it was their vision of creating those beautiful small romances. There was a market for it. Now, music videos have taken a very different turn. I am not sure if those cute stories are being told [now],” the actor ends.