The much hyped “new” version of the old classic “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara…” was finally aired today amidst a lot of high expectations. Did it live up to it? My answer would be a big NO! I was terribly disappointed to see my favourite song being ruptured indignantly 
Mile Sur started on a promising note with A R Rahman playing on his continuum keyboard.Soon Amitabh Bachhan lent his voice to the opening verses of the song. So far…so good. But as the song progressed, I discovered that it was nothing more than a mere showcase of Bollywood’s leading men and ladies. Aishwarya Rai with her hubby, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Shahrukh Khan,Salman Khan and you have Deepika Padukone in the midst wearing an itsy-bitsy outfit and a plastic expression on her face. Deepika…are you posing for a soap ad???
And thats not all! Aamir Khan still seems to be in his Taare Zameen Par mood and his bit looks like a cross between “Aati Kya Khandala” and “Bum Bum Bole”! Shahrukh gives his typical hand-stretched pose and when Shahid Kapur croons Mile Sur with a mike in his hand, I threw up my hands in despair!! Of course, there are many regional actors who do their bit. The makers must have suddenly realized that there was too much of bollywood and so they have managed to cramp a lot of sportspersons towards the end of the song. Finally India’s armed forces are depicted at the end of the song. Its ironical that the most deserving of them all gets the least screen space! Isn’t it??
I feel that the original purpose of the song has been defeated in the new version. The old one focused more on national integrity and was also showcased the various regions in India and their cultural affinities. You had a coorgi family signing “nanna Dhwani ye ninna Dhwaniya…” , a elephant mahout singing in malayalam, tribals from Nagaland in their traditional attire and so on and so forth. So, the message “Unity in Diversity” was crystal clear.
Unfortunately, in the new one, you have Salman & Priyanka singing with physically challenged children and Mahesh Babu comforting the old. I agree that it is a noble cause but what is this doing in a video on National Integration? I’m sure the makers could have made an entirely different video if they wanted to deliver a “Save the girl child” or ” Support the Old and forsaken” message.
Of course, I do agree that the new song has been shot well and choreographed well. The musicians have definitely given their best. But there is a “certain thing” that seems to be missing in the new version.
I really wish that the makers of the song had concentrated more on preserving the beauty of the original. But instead, the final product is all glamour and glitz, Bollywood-ish and evokes little interest in the viewer.
