Exclusive! 'Main Khiladi Tu Anari' singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya: It is good to see our work getting recognition even after 28 years

Abhijeet Bhattacharya spoke to mid-day.com about the remake of Main Khiladi Tu Anari and his memories of recording the original song in 1994

‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ is the latest 90s Bollywood song to get caught in the wave of remakes and remixes. This time the song has been reworked for Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi-starrer ‘Selfiee’. Akshay Kumar who was a part of the original is seen reprising the original choreography along with his new co-star Emraan Hashmi. The song also features Nushrratt Bharuccha and Diana Penty. But the choreography is not the only thing retained in the rework. "All my songs that have been remixed have retained my original voice,” says an elated Abhijeet Bhattacharya who sang the original song in 1994. The song was a part of the film titled ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’.

Talking to mid-day about ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’, the prolific singer who has over 6000 songs to his credit shares, “This was not a popular track then as it is today. Now it has become a rage. In the entire film, only this song worked. The other songs did not get this kind of response.”

“Back then I did not know much about Saif (Ali Khan) or Akshay (Kumar). Both were new in the industry. We were not too familiar with their voices. And I had sung for Akshay only in ‘Khiladi’ which was his first major movie. Overnight, I became the voice of Akshay Kumar. Soon after, Main Khiladi Tu Anari" became a rage,” he adds.

Abhijeet revealed that in most of his concerts, the demand for ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ tops the list. “At my recent concert in Agra, I had to sing the song thrice. A few days back, I was in Benaras, and people wanted to listen to that song. People have been talking about this song everywhere. It is good to see that our work is getting recognition even after so long. It is strictly an Anu Malik song. The special thing about Anu's songs is that the punch line is written by Anu Malik himself. We know this because we work with him. So a huge credit goes to Anu Malik,” he reveals.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar makes Salman Khan dance to 'Main Khiladi Tu Anari'

Abhijeet Bhattacharya has given hits like ‘Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Mein’, ‘Goriya Chura Na’, ‘Main Koi Aisa Geet’,  ‘Woh Ladki Jo Saab Se’, ‘I'm The Best’, ‘Suno Na Suno Na’, among others. 

'Selfiee' will be released in theatres on February 24, 2023.

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