As two new radio stations dedicated to Bollywood music from the 90s sprout up, we look at how the music and the musical trends from that era are making a comeback
Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; August 21, 2016)

Till a couple of years ago, the singers and Bollywood songs from the ’90s seemed a thing of the past. But that’s not the case anymore. Music trends from the ’90s are making a comeback. Radio, which has essentially been the domain of popular music, seems to be changing too.

In fact, new radio stations have popped up which only play music from the ’90s. Filmmakers and music composers have started offering more playback opportunities to senior singers, who, were left feeling that the times have changed, and there’s no room for them in the industry anymore. Here’s breaking down the retro wave.

Some Indi-pop maybe?
One of the highlights of the music scene of the ’90s used to be the beaming state of independent music of the country. But from the early 2000s to a couple of years ago, there hasn’t been much movement. However, the stifled state of independent music in India got a new lease of life last year. Many musicians — from film as well as non-filmy backgrounds — came up with singles and albums.

While Sonu Nigam’s single ‘Aa bhi jaa tu kahin se’ was received well, Honey Singh’s ‘Dheere dheere se’ became a rage. Armaan Malik’s ‘Main rahoon ya na rahoon’, Akriti Kakar’s ‘Amma' and Arijit Singh’s ‘Chal wahan jaate hain’ were also lauded by music aficionados. This gave artistes and music companies the courage to cut albums.

Retro nights rule the city
Not just Bollywood, several city venues have been cashing in on the formula of playing music from that era. The retro nights at The Elbo Room (Khar), Villa 69 (Juhu) and The Pump Room (Andheri) are packed to the hilt. “We have retro nights every Sunday, and a lot of songs from the ’90s are played. The tracks of that era are so famous that people get on the tables and dance. A track that is really enjoyed is ‘Akele hain toh kya gham hai’,” says Robert Gomes, manager at The Elbo Room.


Remember Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik?
Celebrated singers Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik, Anuradha Paudwal and Sadhna Sargam, who ruled the roost in the ’90s, have returned to Bollywood’s playback scene again. While Sanu sang ‘Dard karaara’ and ‘Tu’ for Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), Alka Yagnik crooned ‘Agar tum saath ho’ in Tamasha (2015) and ‘Deep shiksha’ in Chalk n Duster (2016).

Sadhna Sargam, too, sang a track in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Celebrated artiste from the ’90s, Altaf Raja sang ‘Dil lagaana’ in Hunterrr (2015). Paudwal is also set to make her comeback into film music after over a decade. She will reportedly sing a track alongside Sanu. Also, composer Anu Mallik, who was a celebrated composer in the ’90s, returned to Bollywood’s music scene with Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Welcome Back (2015). He is also working on the soundtrack of Hera Pheri 3.

Rehash that song
Over the past couple of years, remixed versions of multiple chartbusters from the ’90s have made inroads into Hindi films. Some of them include ‘Tumhe apna banane ki kasam’ (as ‘Tumhe apna banaane ka junoon’ for the movie Hate Story 3; see pic below) and ‘Ae mere humsafar’ (used in All Is Well; 2015), among others. Apart from Bollywood songs, a couple of independent tracks have also been revamped. Singer Ankit Tiwari stepped into the shoes of Sonu Nigam and came up with his version of ‘Is kadar pyaar hai’ from the celebrated singer’s album Deewana.

Singer Vikas Bhalla also came up with an unplugged version of his hit, ‘Dhuan’. “I was looking at doing this (releasing an unplugged version) a while ago. The music from the ’90s is making a comeback. I was waiting for the right time,” he says. Explaining why his company has backed the music from the ’90s, Ajay Kapoor, Director, T-Series says, “The songs from the ’90s have great recall value. They are fresh even today. They appeal to the youth and the elderly alike. When we thought of reviving old songs, we needed tracks that even the youngsters could connect with.”