Daddy song 'Zindagi Meri Dance Dance': Fitting tribute to Hindi cinema's disco kings

Remaking old songs might have become a norm for films today, but there’s an element of novelty attached to a remake when the original was never a part of the film it was made for. Babbar Subhash’s 1987 cult classic film Dance Dance ushered in a disco revolution in Hindi cinema with its music, making Bappi Lahiri (composer) and actor Mithun Chakraborty the disco kings. The film had many great numbers, however, one track failed to make the cut - the slow disco number 'Zindagi Meri Dance Dance'. Thirty years later, the makers of Arjun Rampal’s Daddy have not only remade the original song, but more importantly, given it an identity of its own. 

The original Bappi Lahiri composition was penned by Anjaan and crooned in the sensual voice of Alisha Chinai, accompanied by Vijay Benedict. The credit for recreating the song is given to Olefonken. Here’s a name that most of us are not familiar with. The unheralded DJ man from Oslo, Norway, has a few tracks to his credit. His real name is Ole Peter Hergum and he specialises in dance and electronic music. 

The original track was a slow dance number, Olefonken has added rhythm and pace, turning the song into a fantastic groovy number.

But a disco song is no good without the classic easy disco boogie moves. Such tracks rely heavily on the freestyle, easy going dance moves. Serbian import Natasa Stankovic and her co-dancer are no Mandakini and Mithun Chakraborty, but they recreate some classic steps from the 1980's, that were a rage back then. It’s a fitting tribute to Chakraborty, Lahiri and the Indian disco dance era. 

Director Ashim Ahluwalia deserves full credit for taking us back in time with this gripping remake.

Daddy is set to be released on 8 September.