Exploring The Revival Of Classic Songs With Choreographer Vijay Ganguly

Classic songs are making a comeback in the music industry, with many old hits being remade for today's listeners. Vijay Ganguly, a well-known choreographer, recently worked on the remake of the title track "Ishq Vishk." He shares his insights on this trend and his experience redoing choreography for such iconic songs.

Vijay finds redoing choreography for classic songs both challenging and rewarding. He shares his experiences with various remakes, stating, "I have done lots of such remakes. When I was doing a song called 'Poster Lagwa Do' from the film Luka Chuppi, we created a new hook step. When the song came out, we realized that classics can't be touched, so when we were doing the song 'Ishq Vishk,' we retained the hook step from the original choreographed by Ahmed Khan sir."

Reflecting on his work with remakes, Vijay says, "There was a trend in the middle when only remakes were made. This could be due to two reasons: either the audience was not enjoying the new music that was coming in, or an entire generation did not know these songs and discovered the original after the remake was made. That was a phase, I believe, and now, with such good music being produced, that phase is almost over. However, I do feel that some remakes should happen because they give old songs a new life."

One of Vijay's most personal experiences with a remake involved revisiting a song from his father's film Saaheb. He recalls, "One other remake was from my father's film 'Saaheb' ('Yaar Bina Chain'). Being on that set in 1983 as a child, and now shooting the same song years later was surreal."

The resurgence of classic songs through remakes has brought both challenges and opportunities for choreographers like Vijay Ganguly. While some classics remain untouchable, others gain new life through modern interpretations.