Phir Mile Sur - the disaster

It is a truth universally acknowledged that some things in life do not require a sequel, a prequel or a remake. Such is the case of the recent version of the classic song on national integration, Mile Sur. A mistake of epic proportions.
If you were to witness the last few seconds of Phir Mile Sur and you thought these visuals celebrated the Indian armed forces, let me assure you, you were wrong. To put it blatantly, the new version is pathetic, to say the least. It is a visual and aural cacophony and the worst attempt in the entertainment industry at national integration by far.
The song hosts a number of personalities, with little relevance whatsoever, either thematically or with the regions they represent. Salman Khan is seen with children who have speech and hearing impairments. A Telugu actor serenades through a game of carom engaged by the elderly, at possibly a home for senior citizens. Rohit Bal, the enigmatic fashion guru, is seen along with film stars from Bollywood, Kollywood and all the other possible -woods. The same Rohit Bal is seen cuddling babies on Dal lake. No other fashion designer is to be seen.
While Suriya and Vikram represent Tamil Nadu at Mahabalipuram and Mamootty endorses Kerala near the fishing nets of Cochin, Juhi Chawwla, a Gujarati, represents Punjab at the Golden Temple. Ash-Abhi, along with a few others, are there to support…Mumbai, I suppose. Shaan, singing for all Bengalis, is seen sailing past the Taj hotel in Mumbai while other Bengalis are seen near the Howrah Bridge. This is definitely not national integration. This is not even to obviate the diverse regionalism inherent in India’s nationhood. This is an unintentional parody (which only makes it atrocious) of the melodious and meaningful song which my generation grew up with in the hey-days of Doordarshan.
Various musicians ranging from legends like Zakir Husain and Shiv Kumar(who were part of the original) are put together with current icons such as Anoushka Shankar. What I found highly disconcerting was that these legends had got their available progeny into the song. I worry who made the choice. Irrespective, this is yet another instance of the invidious nature of nepotism in our Indian society. The song starts with what I see as the one of the most nepotistic family heads in the entertainment industry , Amitabh Bachan. Kavita Krishanmoorthy gets her children to sing a few surs; Shivkumar Sharma and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan get their ineffectual sons to perform as well.
This is a straight reflection of the casteist nature of our ideological make up. If the passing of talent from one generation to the next were the theme of this song, then God help us, for if new generations of talent ever want to be featured, they would have to compete with the children, grand children and other family members of these artists who will see it as their birthright to be featured in future versions of this song.
The editing is choppy. The very mix of instruments is disastrous. Shiamak Dawar seems desperate. Our brave soldiers and lesser known sports personalities are added as an afterthought. I am especially confused with Deepika Padukone’s role with a symbolic wet dress scene in a national integration song. The national cricket team is upset that they have not been featured. The common man is upset that Shilpa Shetty is soberly dressed.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that nothing beats an original. Mile Sur, but definitely not this way.