Mohit Chauhan: I was offered to recreate Kishore Kumar’s iconic song, how can you do this blasphemy?

Recreating classics melodies has been a recurring theme in Bollywood. Some like it and some don’t, and singer Mohit Chauhan falls in the latter category, especially when it comes to making songs of legendary playback singer Kishore Kumar.

He shares that the only thought that comes to his mind, whenever he receives offers to recreate classics is — “Why should I do something, which already has such a high standard?”

Chauhan reveals, “I have been asked to sing an iconic song sung by Kishore Kumar sahab more than a couple of times… I didn’t want to do that remake.”

Probe him more and he shares, “You cannot compete with Kishore sahab, how can you do that? It is blasphemy. I refused those songs. I don’t know if it (not taking up remake offers) has hurt my career. I don’t think like that. I don’t care about it actually,” he clarifies, adding, “But I have turned down such requests. I grew up listening to him, learning from him. He was almost like a Guru when it comes to playback singing.”

His own song, Masakali from Delhi 6, had been recreated for Marjaavaan (2019). Ask him about the same, and the singer replies, “I have heard it was not received well by people, which is not a good thing. I don’t want to put myself in a position like that.”

The 55-year-old, who has crooned numerous chartbusters such as Yeh Dooriyan (Love Aaj Kal, 2020), Sadda Haq (Rockstar, 2015) and Matargashti (Tamasha, 2015), adds that people remember the original versions too well.

The singer elaborates, “Apart from my own music, the music of the early and mid 2000s, if it’s a good quality song, you have it on your play list. Even when travelling in a car today, the FM plays a Kishore Kumar song, I know the lyrics to them, I sing along. A good song always remains with you. There is no point of doing something which you don’t believe in,” he signs off.