Singer Ila Arun’s classics Ghagra and Choli Ke Peeche (Khalnayak; 1993) have been recreated for the film Crew. While they have got mixed reactions, the veteran is confused. “Some people are telling me to be grateful that the songs have been recreated and this generation is loving them. But I am confused. I don’t know if I should be proud or unhappy, as I am unable to digest them aesthetically. Younger generation ko pasand hoga, mujhe nahin,” she says.

Arun adds, “Choli Ke Peeche was like an answer to the teasing by men who’d ask, ‘Choli ke peeche kya hai?’. It was about telling them to look beyond the obvious. But the newer version has a captain’s announcement at the starting, saying, ‘Your captain speaking, please tighten your choli’. I don’t like it. When you destroy the mystery of a song, it turns vulgar.”

Sharing how she was informed about the recreations, the 70-year-old says, “My terms with the recording label are good. But I was told just five minutes before the release that they needed my blessing. I don’t have the rights to Choli Ke Peeche, but Ghagra is my intellectual property. I would have appreciated if I was asked beforehand. They could have called me; I would have sung them and given a few suggestions.” Arun feels “if there is a recreation, there should be royalty and payment”, which she plans to ask for “later”.