Nobody can sing like Nazia Hassan: Vishal-Shekhar

Nimrika Singh, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, September 08, 2012

When composer duo Vishal-Shekhar set out to work on the music for Student Of The Year (SOTY), they had a clear agenda: "Karan's (Johar, director) brief to us was that he wanted young, energetic music that people can dance to. The film is about three high school students, so the music had to be youth-oriented," says Vishal Dadlani. Hence, the film boasts several upbeat tracks such as Kukkar, Vele, Radha and and Ratta maar. "At first, we felt the pressure of working with a big director like Karan, but he made us feel very comfortable," says Shekhar Ravjiani.

But for the ultimate dance song that would click with the crowds, the duo chose Disco deewane — the '80s cult number sung by late Pakistani pop icon Nazia Hassan. "We wanted a tune that people were already familiar with. Plus, we love Nazia," says Vishal. "The original song was massive. In this version, we've tried to add our own twists. We're happy that people love it," Adds Shekhar.

The duo might have rearranged the number, but they retained Nazia's vocal sample from the chorus refrain, Disco deewane from the original song — one of the elements that led to the track's massive success when it released in 1980. "Nobody can sing like Nazia. There's innocence in her voice which cannot be
recreated. And that is what gives the song its unique flavour," says Vishal. "In this version, Benny Dayal and Sunidhi Chauhan have
done a great job."

The duo is also happy that Biddu, who composed the original song, likes their version. "He approved of it and that is a really big deal," says Shekhar. Currently, Vishal-Shekhar are composing the background score for SOTY. "We're also going to start work on Chennai Express and Happy New Year," says Vishal.