Tanishk Bagchi on O Saki Saki trending: I’m very excited, reels can be very surprising

With an impressive line up of songs under his belt, composer Tanshik Bagchi has also created a name for himself by remixing old songs and giving them a modern twist. From Tip Tip (Sooryavanshi; 2021), The Humma Song (Ok Jannu; 2017) and Tamma Tamma Again (Badrinath Ki Dulhania; 2017) and more, Bagchi’s O Saki Saki from the 2019-film Batla House is climbing the trend list as people, both young and old, and in India, and around the world are posting videos of themselves recreating the hook step to the song’s chorus.

With singers B Praak, Neha Kakkar and Tulsi Kumar lending their voice, the song composed by the Bagchi and features actor-dance Nora Fatehi. This song was originally composed by musician duo Vishal-Shekhar and is a remake of the 2004 hit-track from the Sanjay Dutt-starrer Musafir.

The 41-year-old had no idea the song was trending but was happy to hear that it was creating a stir after all this time. He says, “It was a good recreation. But it was a challenge and I still remember when it came out, it was a sure shot hit on the first day only. The song worked well and now that it is picking up on reels, it’s a good thing and I’m very excited. And nowadays, reels can be very surprising like how Kala Chasma (Baar Baar Dekho, 2018) had picked up sometime back (and gone viral) all around the world.”

Breaking down the process of producing a song that is already iconic and made a mark in people’s mind, Bagchi says he never wants “to spoil a track”, adding, “I asked the director and the original composers for their thoughts. The dance choreographers are also involved and they share their vision for the song. It’s not just one person’s call. It’s the entire team.”

The Raataan Lambiyan (Shershaah, 2021) composer says that he doesn’t work on a song with the idea of making it dance track or super hit number. “I make it like it is a tribute.” Talking about O Saki Saki, he says, “It was a tribute (to the older version). When I recreated it, I made it a point that it sounds exactly like the old track but with a little bit of masala in it so that people that dance to it.”

And he believes that is what people want to do nowadays – dance to good music, which is why the trend of mixing an old and new song is taking over social media. He says, “Nowadays, people want to dance and groove to songs and they like the old songs and the new songs too, so they try to combine both of them to get that feel of dance. That’s why they are doing this so that they can make reels and make trends out of it, and it is working.”

And while we have seen Indian music slowly but surely creating a mark for itself with the international audience appreciating songs like Kala Chasma and Patakha Gudi, Bagchi believes it is not so much the song but the dances and moves that catches one’s attention. He says, “There are different genres of music. For social media, only 15-second of the songs becomes viral. But the main thing about the reels is not the song, it is about what they are doing in the song. It is a visual thing. If you see all the songs that have gone viral, the dance step is the main thing that actually worked.