Varun can't become Salman Khan: Singer Abhijeet on Chunnari Chunnari remake row

Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya has criticised the recreated version of Chunnari Chunnari from the upcoming film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, starring Varun Dhawan, Pooja Hegde and Mrunal Thakur. Abhijeet, who sang the original version of the song, also took a swipe at Varun Dhawan over what he described as a repeated reliance on remakes and revamped Bollywood hits.

In an interview with ANI, Abhijeet reacted strongly to the new version of his 1999 hit from Biwi No 1, which featured Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor and Sushmita Sen. Expressing disappointment, he said the song was the biggest of Salman's career and had remained popular ever since its release.

What Abhijeet said about Chunnari Chunnari remake

Abhijeet said, “This was the biggest song of Salman Khan’s career. Ever since it was released, it has remained popular and trending. Chunnari Chunnari is the biggest hit of Salman Khan’s career.”

He further criticised Varun, saying the actor had mostly done “second-hand films”, especially remakes or films inspired by projects originally directed by his father, David Dhawan.

“The actor has only done second-hand films, especially when his father directed the original films. He also uses the same songs that were once hits. Varun Dhawan cannot become Salman Khan by using my songs," he said and added that there was a big difference between the two stars.

The singer also sarcastically remarked that the remake sounded more like a “bhajan” than the romantic dance number the original was.

About the song

On Tuesday, the makers of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai released the recreated version of Chunnari Chunnari. The revamped track has been arranged by Akshay Raheja and Abhishek Singh, while the music video has been choreographed by Remo D'Souza.

Directed by David Dhawan, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is scheduled to release in theatres on June 5.