Ayushmann Khurrana’s An Action Hero released in theatres on Friday and has largely received positive reviews. However, the makers of the film have received flack for remaking the two songs – Jehda Nasha and Aap Jaisa Koi – in the film.
Amid backlash for Jehda Nasha, Ayushmann has said that he is happy that the original creators of the song, Faridkot, has collaborated with An Action Hero and said that “now this song will reach the masses”.
Ayushmann told Mashable India in an interview, “I was listening to this song on loop during the pandemic. Independent music rose during the pandemic, the pandemic gave independent music such a push. Because you could be home, compose music and put it out there, everyone was home and a lot of us were listening to a lot of music and consuming it. All the big stars of independent music today owe it to the pandemic.”
Adding that Faridkot got mainstream success because of his film, Ayushmann said, “Talking about Faridkot band, it is a good thing that they’re the collaborators and this song is onboard for An Action Hero. Now this song will reach the masses. It already did and I know it because the watchman of my building was watching the video of the song, and he told me how good it is. When I asked him if he had heard it before, he said no. I am glad the song has reached an audience where it hadn’t reached before.”
Earlier, the film’s music composer Tanishk Bagchi had said that recreations help “original singers in getting noticed”. In a chat with Hindustan Times, the composer said that the audience does not “even know the name of Jehda Nasha’s original singers (Amar Jalal and IP Singh). You only know my name because I have recreated it. Log jaante hi nahi ki kisne gaaya hai wo gaana (People don’t know the names of the original singers).” He added, “This step of recreating the song and picturising it on Ayushmann Khurrana and Nora Fatehi will help the original singers in getting noticed. We are just becoming a window for these people to come out in the mainstream.”