Alisha Chinai opens up on Raja Kumari's Made In India rendition: 'It is a good effort'

Rapper Raja Kumari who grew up in America has just released a cover version, or reimagined version of Alisha Chinai’s 1995 classic ‘M_ade In India’_. Kumari has even got Madhuri Dixit to participate in her song’s video. Speaking on the tribute Alisha Chinai who will be releasing two new songs next month s. “It is a good effort. So many generations of Indian kids have grown up with the song. It rings a bell especially with kids abroad. I can understand her attachment to it. And I respect it.” However, Alisha feels a classic song is inviolable. “Not just a song. But a classic film. It shouldn’t be tampered with. So many have tried to do versions of Lataji’s ‘Lag ja gale se’ or for that matter, Madonna’s ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’. But no one can touch the original.” Alisha feels her music and aesthetics have become inextricably woven with the song ‘Made in India’. “Whenever I am mentioned, Made In India is also mentioned. Like Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ or Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, I am known as the Made in India girl, and I proud of it.” During the crest of her career, Alisha sang only one other song that came close to the popularity of Made In India. “And that was ‘Kajra re’. But that was for a film (Bunty Aur Babli). And I’ve always been opposed to playback singing as being unfair to the singer, as the actress on screen walks away with all the credit.However, I am not complaining about Kajra re because Aishwarya Rai made the song look so beautiful with that heavenly face and those killer moves.” Recalling the recording of the song ‘Made In India’, Alisha says, “We worked hard on it. We never thought it would acquire the staying power that it has. It is gratifying to know that 27 years later Made In India is being re-interpreted. But like I said, classics should not be touched. That is why they are classics.” Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.