'Dil Chahta Hai' title track recreated to raise funds for artistes affected by COVID-19

Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan, T-Series and Berklee Indian Ensemble have recreated the title track of "Dil Chahta Hai" to raise funds for Indian artistes hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

The new version features 112 artistes from 21 countries and is in support of the BIX COVID Fund.

T-Series will be donating all the proceeds from the song to the cause.

"In a challenging time like this, it is our responsibility to overcome the obstacles and provide help to the needy. This initiative by Shankar Mahadevan, Berklee Indian Ensemble and us is a step to help the artistes whose livelihood has been affected," Bhushan Kumar, T-Series honcho, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Mahadevan scored the music of the 2001 hit with his musical partners Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa and the songs were written by veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar.

The video also features "Dil Chahta Hai" director Farhan Akhtar, who made his debut with the film, star Aamir Khan, Salim Merchant, Benny Dayal, Neeti Mohan and Shalmali Kholgade.

Dil Chahta Hai is the eponymous soundtrack album of the Hindi film which came out in 2001. It was directed by Farhan Akhtar and starred Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Aamir Khan in lead roles. Ever since its release, the music has received widespread critical acclaim and is considered a milestone in the history of Bollywood film music.

Dil Chahta Hai is considered to be pathbreaking as it has one of the finest soundtracks to have emerged in contemporary Indian music. The song stayed away from traditional Bollywood sounds and instead set a new standard for contemporary, rock-influenced sounds. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy used orchestration, timbre, pitch and melody rather than text, which was both new and different at that time.

The song featured in the BBC Asian Network's Top 40 Soundtracks of All-Time list and Planet Bollywood's 100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks list.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)