The newly released remake of the iconic 1999 track “Chunnari Chunnari” has sparked a fiery response from its original playback singer, Abhijeet Bhattacharya. Striking a highly critical tone, Abhijeet publicly slammed the revamped track featured in Varun Dhawan’s upcoming romantic comedy, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, accusing the creators of downgrading a classic and taking a direct swipe at the lead actor.
“It Sounds Like a Bhajan”
In a blunt interview with ANI, Abhijeet expressed deep disappointment with how the energy of the original dance track was altered. He noted that the 1999 version from Biwi No. 1 (originally starring Salman Khan and Sushmita Sen) remains an unmatched peak of Salman Khan’s early career.
Abhijeet Bhattacharya: “When I heard the song, I thought it was a bhajan (religious hymn). Chunnari Chunnari was originally a romantic track, and they have now turned it into a bhajan. This was the biggest song of Salman Khan’s life… Varun Dhawan iss gaane se Salman Khan nahi ban sakta (Varun Dhawan cannot become Salman Khan using this song). There is a big difference between Salman Khan and Varun Dhawan.”
The singer also criticized Varun Dhawan’s career choices, calling out his tendency to star in what he labeled “second-hand films”—referencing Varun’s habit of acting in modern remakes of hit 90s movies originally directed by his father, David Dhawan (such as Judwaa 2 and Coolie No. 1).
Unauthorised Recreation and Structural Shifts
The controversy stretches beyond just creative differences. Abhijeet revealed that the production team never reached out to him before reproducing the track.
Furthermore, the remake has landed in the middle of an industry feud. Veteran producer Vashu Bhagnani (Pooja Entertainment) has raised ethical objections against producer Ramesh Taurani (Tips Music) and director David Dhawan for adapting intellectual property associated with his legacy catalog without mutual consensus.
How the Two Versions Stack Up
| Feature | Original Track (1999) | Recreated Version (2026) |
| Movie | Biwi No. 1 | Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai |
| On-Screen Cast | Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Karisma Kapoor | Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur, Pooja Hegde |
| Original Vocals | Abhijeet Bhattacharya & Anuradha Sriram | IP Singh, Jonita Gandhi, Asees Kaur, Sudhir Yaduvanshi |
| Music Direction / Arrangement | Anu Malik | Akshay Raheja & Abhishek Singh |
| Choreography | Ganesh Acharya | Remo D’Souza |
| Public Reception | Legendary chartbuster; still trending globally | Highly polarized; criticized online as a “bland mix” |
About the Movie
Directed by David Dhawan, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is built around a chaotic comedy-of-errors love triangle where Varun Dhawan’s character finds himself entangled with both Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde. The film draws its title from another track in Biwi No. 1.
Following an adjustment to the theatrical calendar to avoid post-IPL crowding, the movie is officially scheduled to release in cinemas on June 5, 2026, before heading to its streaming home on ZEE5.
