Highway’s Patakha Guddi goes viral on social media

From Chaand Baaliyan to Kala Chashma (Baar Baar Dekho; 2016) — a lot of old Indian songs have gone viral on social media in recent times. And the latest one to join the bandwagon is Patakha Guddi from actor Alia Bhatt-starrer Highway (2014), which has got Indian and international internet users grooving.

There are over 40,000 reels and more than 40 million collective views for the song so far. And lyricist Irshad Kamil, who penned the track, is elated. “Since I don’t use social media too much, I didn’t know the song is going viral after almost eight years. But I am very happy. This shows the universal appeal of the track and its lyrics. It’s a validation of sorts,” he says.

Several users have also remixed the song and come out with their own versions that are gaining traction, too. Ask how he feels about it and Kamil, 50, says, “After a while, the song becomes open to the public. And, if a social media user likes a track and does something to it, it’s fine. When you write a song, it’s no longer just yours after it releases. It is public property.”

Speaking of remixes in Hindi film music, Kamil adds that he is not a big fan and feels “this is not a very healthy trend”, as it doesn’t leave “room for new” ideas to take root.