Khandaani Shafakhana song ‘Sheher Ki Ladki’: Badshah, Diana can’t recreate the magic of Suniel, Raveena’s original

This monsoon, it feels as if it’s raining ‘remixes’ as well. This time around, a beloved 1990s track, starring Suniel Shetty and Raveena Tandon, is the victim. I say victim because the remix is no patch on the original.

In Shilpi Dasgupta’s Khandaani Shafakhana, Badshah plays a famous pop star so it is natural he would be recording a music video for his character. However, this version of ‘Sheher Ki Ladki’ pales when compared to the original Anand-Milind composition.

Though the beat and the lyrics by Deepak Chaudhary have been retained, the current version seems slowed down by Bagchi and Badshah. Furthermore, Diana Penty as the city girl in question lacks the vigour to fill the screen. In certain places, she awkwardly moves to the track. Badshah, of course, is an old pro at music videos.

The track livens up once Shetty and Tandon enter towards the end. However, by then it’s too late. To be fair, Tandon has more enthusiasm than Shetty, but they both bring the cool factor.

Badshah and Tulsi Kumar’s vocals feel mixed, and original singer Abhijeet has also been woven in. Overall, the new recreation lacks the swag and oomph from the 1990s track.

Khandaani Shafakhana, also starring Sonakshi Sinha and Varun Sharma, is due to be released on 2 August.