Atif Aslam's remake of 'Chalte Chalte' fails to give goosebumps

Singer strips the song of its true essence

KARACHI: Remakes of iconic old Bollywood songs seem to be the 'it' trend these days. But from Madhuri Dixit's Ek Do Teen to Habib Wali Muhammad's Aaj Janay Ki Zidd Na Karo, most of these renditions have failed to impress.

Likewise, Atif Aslam's version of Chalte Chalte for the upcoming film Mitron, was also a disappointment.

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Originally featured in the 1972 Bollywood classic Pakeezah, Chalte Chalte was picturised on the tragedy queen Meena Kumari. Crooned by ace-singer Lata Mangeshkar, the original Chalte Chalte is a tune that people still hum to this day.


While Atif has given hit after hit ballads such as Tere Bin, Dil Diyaan Gallan, Pehli Nazar Mein and many others, would would assume his remake of Chalte Chalte would be up to the mark. Alas, it was certainly not.

The 35-year-old singer strips Chalte Chalte of its true essence and fails to give any goosebumps, as opposed to the 1972 version. The song kicks off with new lyrics with a strong start. However, as soon as Atif starts singing, the graph declines.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BliDgyeHgXc/?taken-by=atifaslam

While Chalte Chalte is not a complete disaster, it still does not do full justice to Lata's original. Maybe if this was a live performance or the song was performed in an acoustic setting, it would sound better. Or even as an original song, it would have performed well.

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Earlier this month, Atif released Dekhte Dekhte from Shahid Kapoor-starrer Batti Gul Meter Chalu - also a remake of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Rashke Qamar. And much like Chalte Chalte, that did not impress either.


While most of Atif's songs usually become instant hits, it's his live performances that a true fan must listen to. Maybe if he had performed Lata and Nusrat's songs as covers at a live concert, they would have been better, like his cover of Kishore Kumar's Pyaar Deewana Hota Hai.

Listen to Chalte Chalte here:


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