(L-R) Salman Khan and Sushmita Sen in the original. Pic/Youtube, Instagram

After Abhijeet Bhattacharya slams ‘Chunnari Chunnari’ remix, composers I P Singh and Akshay Raheja say they respect his opinion; reveal that Salman Khan has backed their work
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 3, 2026)

Remixes are often followed by a clash of opinions. Last week, singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, who voiced the original Chunnari Chunnari from Biwi No 1 (1999), criticised the recreated version in Varun Dhawan’s Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. When mid-day contacted Akshay Raheja and I P Singh, who composed the remix, they viewed the singer’s reaction as part of the territory that comes with revisiting a popular number.

Singh said, “These are senior people. Their comments are coming from their personal experience and we respect that. Anu Malik sir [who scored the original] loved it. If Abhijeet sir didn’t like it, what can we do? We can only ask for their aashirwaad. Hum bachche hain; we’ve come here to give our fresh perspective on the track.”

In sharp contrast to Bhattacharya’s opinion, the duo claimed that Biwi No 1’s leading man Salman Khan has endorsed their reinterpretation. While they haven’t spoken directly to the superstar, Singh revealed, “From what I know, Salman sir has given his blessing to the song. That means a lot to us.”

The duo’s brief was to introduce Chunnari Chunnari to the young audience while preserving the original’s soul. Raheja explained, “When we are reimagining songs, the idea is to honour the original composition. We need to keep its integrity alive.”

Singh added, “In the 1990s, there was a wave of reimagining songs from the 1970s and 1980s. I discovered so many tracks through those versions. Now if we can take [the 1990s] songs to Gen Z listeners and evoke in them the feeling we experienced when we first heard them, that’s wonderful.”
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Music duo Akshay Raheja and I P Singh say that while they respect the veteran singer’s opinion, they stand by their creation
Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 4, 2026)

The recreated version of Chunnari Chunnari from Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, starring Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde, has sparked mixed reactions online, including criticism from singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, who crooned the original song. He recently said the remake sounded more like a “bhajan” than the upbeat 1999 track from Biwi No.1.

Reacting to the criticism, music duo Akshay Raheja and I P Singh, who have composed the new song, say they respect all opinions while standing by their work. “Art is subjective. Some people will like it, some people won’t. We tried to honour the essence of the song, and its nostalgia,” says IP, adding that the duo views the track as a “reimagination and not a remix”.

Akshay adds, “When we work with so many senior artistes like David (Dhawan, director) ji, Kumar (Taurani) ji, Ramesh (Taurani, producer) ji, there has to be some merit that it is a good song, that’s why it got selected and released.”

On Abhijeet’s remarks, I P says, “He’s a veteran, and there’s only respect for him from our end. For us, he is a legend... We just hope that sooner or later, he also gives us his blessings.”

Akshay adds, “He must be coming from a place, because he originally recorded this song. Now, obviously, the style of music has changed and evolved. So, it’s completely fine for him to have this view.”