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What Salman Ahmad thinks about Arjit Singh's version of Sayonee

What Salman Ahmad thinks about Arjit Singh's version of Sayonee

"India's Arijit Singh has been asking me for the last five years to let him sing Sayonee.”
07 Nov, 2020

Bollywood has often times come under scrutiny for remaking timeless golden tunes into painful melodies that don't sit well with audiences.

This time around, the iconic Arjit Singh, otherwise known for his beautiful compositions, has landed in hot water for remaking the Pakistani version of the classic ‘Sayonee’, the 1997 release from the Sufi rock band Junoon.

Having asked his feelings about the release, lead Salman Ahmad took to share how it was a moment of pride that composers all across the world chose to remake the iconic song to date.

“I composed ‘Sayonee’ in 1998. It's been 22 years and it has been such a hit since. The song itself has been revamped thousands of times,” he said.

Mentioning copyrights, he also spoke about how many took to seek his permission to use the song over the years.

“This isn't the first time someone has asked me to give them permission to make their own version of the song," he narrated. "India's Arijit Singh has been asking me for the last five years to let him sing 'Sayonee'.”

“I told him that I wouldn’t have a problem as long as two conditions were met - one, that no sentiments were hurt and another that it should be a message of love."

Salman also mentioned how he granted permission for the remake four years ago, and how only last week he was randomly informed that a trailer was on way.

Speaking to the host Mubashir Luqman, his aura was secure knowing that at the end of the day, the song, whether liked by the public or not, was a revival of the original and a tribute to the iconic music released years ago.

"I always sang from my heart," he said, narrating the tales of how ‘Jazba Junoon’ and ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ were melodies that were sung without any pressure. "No one ever said this is a script, this is a melody and this is a production. I always sang what came to my heart."

Adding that Pakistan's talent surpasses the infrastructure available to artists to harbour themselves to the fullest, the rock guitarist mentioned how the past 70 years were proof that Pakistan's television dramas, urdu poetry and music was legendary - pleading the government to facilitate the upcoming stars and make their journey worthwhile.

Comments

Fastrack Nov 07, 2020 01:36pm
Bollywood are first rate copycats anyway.
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Chachi's_Chacha Nov 07, 2020 04:43pm
I know Ali Azmat but who is Salman Ahmad?
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Surya Kant Nov 07, 2020 05:46pm
Thanks for letting him sing.
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J Singh Nov 07, 2020 06:39pm
Salman Ahmed family migrated from Patiala, Punjab to Pakistan. Sayonee is very good composition.
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Chrís Dăn Nov 07, 2020 07:23pm
New generation in India learns classical singing before starting regular singing& it is true in 99% cases there that they know basic language of "sur and tal" & have good voice control-hence it is not cortect and ethical to condemn all new indian singers with the pretext that they re better only in infrastructure. they have retained values in music. If they contact pakistani singers,we must br humble as Lata Jee is humble despite her perfection in &control in voice &life long singing practice.
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N abidai Nov 07, 2020 08:18pm
Junoon is number one period !
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Anujit Nov 07, 2020 09:19pm
Good to see Salman Ahmad speaking.....can't understand Mubasher Lucman's interpretation about Sanskrit language & literature and its comparison with other language! Would reqest Mubasher to do some reserach work and delve deep into the subject, henceforth.
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BHASKAR JYOTI DAS Nov 07, 2020 10:51pm
this was a mistake (with all regards to Arijit). the original one was way lot better........ love from india
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rubina Nov 07, 2020 11:37pm
@Fastrack Atif Aslam remarked Kishore kumar, Asha bhosle, Rafi's songs. Time to end the copycat mess at home.
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Zak Nov 08, 2020 12:04am
Salman a legend in his own right and is tight to ask government to promote artists and entertainment industry.
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P Nag Nov 08, 2020 12:05am
Good one. Sayonee is one of my favorite song.
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Zak Nov 08, 2020 12:05am
@Chachi 'I know Ali Azmat but who is Salman Ahmad?' Go back to sleep, you don't need to know.
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BCCI Nov 08, 2020 02:28am
@Fastrack You didn’t read the article did you?
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vivek wani Nov 08, 2020 03:08am
Pakistani TV serials are far better than our Indians.
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Gangadhar Nov 08, 2020 03:55am
@Fastrack You must have reading comprehension issues. Go back and read the article. Slowly, so that your brain can keep up.
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Doesn't Matter Nov 08, 2020 04:02am
@Chachi ask Arjit Singh the same question
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Pakistani Nov 08, 2020 08:05am
As usual, not a word about his fellow band members as if it were a solo.
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Babban Nov 08, 2020 05:58pm
Great gesture !
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Human Nov 09, 2020 11:38am
@Chachi .... you surely dont know Junoon then !
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Human Nov 09, 2020 11:39am
It surely is an honor for Arjith to sing Sayonee!
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Sila Nov 12, 2020 03:28pm
@Chachi i second this
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