Sanam take ‘the blame positively’ for starting the trend of rehashing old songs

Boy band Sanam struck a chord with the audience courtesy of their melodious rehashes of older songs. The band initially produced several musical covers, however, it was not until they started rehashing iconic songs like Lag JaaGale, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh, Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha, Tujhse Naraz Nahi Zindagi and such that made them the musical heartthrobs of the nation. While they moved on from making remakes, the bug bit Bollywood, that’s still not over remaking and rehashing.

Ask the band if they blame themselves for this trend and Samar Puri -lyricist, lead guitarist, and composer – quips, “We have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to make the renditions of the songs that connect the younger generation to the older one. And we proudly take the blame positively.”

The band was formed in 2010 and it’s been 12 years since they have been growing stronger. Looking back at these 12 years, Sanam Puri – lead vocalist/composer – says, “We’ve only gotten stronger as a team and as individuals. There’s a lot of love between all of us and that’ll never change. The love we have for each other is what drives us to do music together. We have definitely seen a lot of ups and downs but the fact that we’re always there for each other as a family is what drives us to grow together.”

Sanam adds that the four of them have “grown a lot musically and emotionally”. “We’ve had the opportunity to understand and experience life through music. We’re all grateful for where we are and everything we have received through music, but most importantly we believe in enjoying the process rather than the destination. Our belief in the process and the journey is what has helped us grow and we want to continue growing as musicians and also as humans,” Sanam elaborates.

Currently, the boy band, comprising Venky S (bass guitar) and Keshav Dhanraj, alongside both Sanam and Samar is touring nationwide and will soon head to the US for a couple of tours.

While every musician talks about reinventing themselves, this band doesn’t feel the need for the same. “We explore all kinds of styles and we do not particularly reinvent it,” Venky S suggests, he further explains, “Since we make all kinds of styles that sort of changes over the years because music production changes and that’s what keeps it fresh. We do have a bunch of originals that are going to be in the pipeline. The renditions that we were working on, are not similar to styles that we have put out on our YouTube channel or any other streaming platforms.”

The band was recently in Pune performing at the musical event Virsaa, conceptualized and initiated by Trustfort events. The band’s last concert in the city was cancelled at the last moment. “There were last-minute changes with the venue and hence we decided to postpone the concert. This time we were so excited to perform for Punekars. This performance was quite different from our last performance. The excitement was a lot more as we are performing post-pandemic,” Keshav states.

Talking about performing in the city, Samar shares, “It always feels special performing in Pune. What stands out is the young youthful enthusiastic energy which is vibrant and quite refreshing. We are always thrilled when Pune calls.”