A lot has already been said about how good or how bad the old version of ‘Mile sur’ is. My post comes a bit late, but nevertheless..
Every one of us was a bit apprehensive, but curious none the less to see how this classic ode to patriotism would come of age. Now that it’s out for all of us to see, it seems like it was too much of noise over nothing.
I remember the mass effect the older version had created. People left whatever work they had at hand whenever the song was shown and flocked their television sets to see it over and over again. It was sort of a tribute to and a celebration of and for our country and our people.
As a child whenever I saw it, I was left with a feeling of oneness with our fellow countrymen and a lump in my throat, feeling very proud for the great personalities our country had produced in various fields. Although there were languages in there that I didn’t know, I’d memorized those lines so I could sing along whenever the song was shown!
The new version however doesn’t seem even close to it. Everyone who’s seen it must’ve his own judgement about it, but as far as I’m concerned the negative points are far more than the positive ones. I’ll take them one at a time:
1. To be fair, it does have a fresh and youthful look. Lots of new locations have been explored.
2. I liked the great maestros Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan featuring with their respective sons. Good blend of the old and the new.
3. Some social causes have also been inculcated. Like; education of the girl child and physically challenged kids, caring for senior citizens etc.
4. Wonder what Shahid Kapur, Shilpa Shetty, Ranbir Kapoor or even Deepika Padukone did to justify their presence.
5. Abhishek Bachchan continues to live in the reflected glory of his wife and father, or else he wouldn’t show up here.
6. Sachin Tendulkar? Anil Kumble? Rahul Dravid? Vishwanathan Anand?
7. The magic of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi’s and Lata Mangeshkar’s voice is seriously missing.
8. The song has many highs and lows throughout, I find that rather disturbing.
2. I liked the great maestros Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan featuring with their respective sons. Good blend of the old and the new.
3. Some social causes have also been inculcated. Like; education of the girl child and physically challenged kids, caring for senior citizens etc.
4. Wonder what Shahid Kapur, Shilpa Shetty, Ranbir Kapoor or even Deepika Padukone did to justify their presence.
5. Abhishek Bachchan continues to live in the reflected glory of his wife and father, or else he wouldn’t show up here.
6. Sachin Tendulkar? Anil Kumble? Rahul Dravid? Vishwanathan Anand?
7. The magic of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi’s and Lata Mangeshkar’s voice is seriously missing.
8. The song has many highs and lows throughout, I find that rather disturbing.
To summarize, the new version is just a song, not the message that the earlier one was. At a time when the common man is reeling under the pressure of growing inflation and food prices, it could’ve had a strong impact, had it not been just a high-budget publicity campaign for film stars and celebrities. There was an inspiration and honesty in the older version that lacks in this one.
Mere singing the same lines doesn’t help in sending the message across. It is not always what is being said, but also, who’s saying it that lends credence to a thought.
