Sonu Nigam has always maintained that remakes aren’t as bad as they’re made out to be — provided they honour the original. This belief is now personal, as the singer’s 1999 pop hit Bijuria makes a comeback in actor Varun Dhawan’s upcoming film, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari.

“Remakes, if done with respect and regard to the original creators, are not a bad thing at all,” the 52-year-old tells us, adding, “Sometimes remakes spoil a song, but a lot of times they bring back old melodies and create nostalgia for people who grew up with them. Even I discovered singers Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra through reimagined versions.”

Originally part of his third non-film album Mausam (1999), Bijuria was conceived as pure pop. “I had the freedom to choose what I wanted to sing. We weren’t thinking of movies at all. And now, after 26 years, it’s finding its way into a film. It is an incredible thing, really,” he recalls.

The music video, which featured Sonu as a ghost, cemented its cult appeal. “It caught the fancy of youngsters like Varun back then, which is why he has so much love for the song,” he says.

For Sonu, the original album will always be special: “We had legends like Shivamani (percussionist), Rupert Fernandes (composer) and others contribute. The bond we shared as a team is what reflects in the success of the album. That is why people are still in love with the songs.”