_{Stars join hands with Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty and others to give a facelift to the classic national integration video Mile Sur Mera Tumhara
ExCampionite class of 1965 Kailash Surendranath, the producer of both the new and old versions of the song, stated that though the basic concept was retained, fresher faces are being roped in to appeal to the younger generation of the country.}

_{"We are doing the new version to make it more identifiable," he said.}

_{Think 15 August 1988 and you think of one of India’s most beloved tunes, Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, premiering on DD. Twenty two years later, on the eve of India’s 60th Republic Day, a new-age version of this iconic song, Phir Mile Sur, was launched here. In an attempt to rejuvenate the magic and the response the original received, 22 of India’s biggest superstars, 18 renowned musicians, 13 of our best artistes and singers and 15 of India’s most recognised icons shot for over two months across 15 cities to recreate the magnum opus. The video is created by ad filmmaker Kailash Surendranath, an ExCampionite class of  1965 who also directed the original over two decades ago. “We feel the same emotions after a span of two decades. Our feelings for India have only grown stronger,’’ he said. Regional film stars contributed significant screen time to the video, but Amitabh Bachchan was the guest of honour. Bachchan, who rubbed shoulders with Mithun Chakraborty and Jeetendra in the original version, thanked The Times of India for letting him be part of the project again. His son and daughter-in-law, Abhishek and Aishwarya, are part of the video, too. Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is joined by his sons Amaan Ali and Ayaan Ali while Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma appears with his son Rahul. Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor represent the next generation. Olympic medallists Abhinav Bindra, Vijendra Singh and Sushil Kumar with badminton sensation Saina Nehwal represent sports, but cricketers are conspicuous by their absence. “Look at their schedules for the past seven months,’’ said ad man Piyush Pandey.Post-master general (Maharashtra and Goa), Charles Lobo, released a commemorative stamp at the event.}

_{It's a song that most Indians can hum off the top of their heads and a video they can't shake off their memories. Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, a song first sung by a host of celebrities in 1988, is now set to get a facelift. Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Shilpa Shetty are some celebrities rumoured to feature in the revamped video.}

_{How it all began: It was sometime in mid 1988 that 50 unknown employees of advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather, took a bus ride from their office in Churchgate to Film City, Goregaon and ended up becoming a part of history. The song was first telecast on Doordarshan on Independence Day in 1988, after the telecast of the Prime Minister's speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort.}

_{New avatar: Now all set to reappear in its new avatar, the magic of Mile sur is being recreated using fresh faces and is tentatively scheduled to coincide with our forthcoming Republic Day in January 2010. The song was originally conceptualized by the late Suresh Mullick, the then the creative director of O&M and composed by Louiz Banks.}

_{On its 18th draft: Piyush Pandey, who was then an Accounts Manager and is today the Executive Chairman and Creative Head of O&M, India, recalled that Mullick had tried many writers for the project and eventually approached him to pen the lyrics. "It was days of hard work and what people actually heard was the 18th draft of the song, which was eventually approved by Mullick for the sheer simplicity of the words. The final outcome was something incredible and Suresh's humble gift to the nation, which touched the hearts of millions instantly. We are trying to recreate his magic, which is once again composed by Banks, with a fresh feel to it," said Piyush.}

_{The Power of One-ness: Phir Sur Mil Gaya: By Bachi Karkaria
Phir goosebumps. Remember the nine words that had bonded the nation all those years ago: “Miley sur mera tumhara, toh sur baney hamara tumhara?’’ That was when the country was trapped in IMF loans, public sector bungling—and the cliché of national integration.}

_{Indians needed the real thing, and it was provided by Doordarshan, hitherto associated only with the contrived manifestations thereof. Kailash Surendranath’s heart-tugging, eyes-misting, 16-minute film was launched without fanfare on August 15, 1988, and quickly slipped under the nation’s skin and into its bloodstream.}

_{The 60th anniversary of the republic finds India on a completely different trajectory. Unleashed, unstoppable, ready to become the third largest economic superpower by 2032, Bharat is already well on the way to being “mahaan’’. So why would we need a revival of that old booster shot?}

_{The answer rides on the wings of the old haunting melody, and the same nine words, but entirely re-filmed. ‘Phir Miley Sur’ records the new beats of India and it is sung by 69 icons instead of the original 26.}

_{‘Phir Miley Sur’, presented by The Times of India, and supported by Vodafone, Kingfisher Airlines and Taj Hotels, was launched on Monday by Amitabh Bachchan. If Delhi’s fog prevented I&B minister Ambika Soni from doing the honours as scheduled, it was arguably the triumph of fitness over form.}

_{For, not only does the Big B represent Hindi cinema, the country’s biggest unifier, he was also the only icon from the original video to figure in the new one. Not just that, he is the only nonsinger who has actually sung the opening bars himself, and then slipping his hands into his pockets slipped into his unmistakable oratory.}

_{There’s more that’s representative. Bachchan is there, this time with Abhishek and Aishwarya. It is a continuum of the patriotism parampara and perhaps a link into ‘Phir Sur Miley’, whenever that is made to record the next spike in the India balance sheet.}

_{‘Phir’ may have the same words but it is palpably, six packs-ly different. You can feel it in the cyber rush of A R Rahman’s finger board, unveiled here for the first time, in the throb of Shankar Ehsan Loy, in the musical tandava of Shivamani and the electronic twang of the instruments. ‘Phir’ is more Nationalism With Attitude than retro remix. Whether it is the packed power of Shah Rukh Khan against the newest icon of new India, the Bandra Worli Sea Link, Amir Khan slyly inserting the Aiye from Aati Kya Khandala into the lyrics, a wonderfully touching cameo of Salman singing with deaf children in sign language, Shahid Kapoor in Chance Pe Dance rock star mode.}

_{The timeless India of its religions, its monuments, its languages is as much on show as Rau Sahib’s stunning photography unfolds phir sey.}

_{The sports icons take over and then hand the baton to the defence services as the last bars of the national anthem work their unfailing magic. It’s impossible to remain unmoved. You can check it for yourself on Zoom today, and clear for yourself the doubts expressed by one cynic who had asked its CEO, Suresh Bala, “Yeh item number key channel par Mother India kaisey?’’}

_{As appeared in the Times Of India dated 26 January 2010.}

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