Singer Sonu Nigam has never opposed the wave of remakes that dominates today’s music industry—his only condition is that they must treat the original creators with respect. It’s a principle that becomes personal now, as his 1999 pop hit Bijuria returns in a new avatar for the upcoming film Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, starring Varun Dhawan.

“Remakes, if done with respect and regard to the original creators, are not a bad thing at all,” he tells us. “Sometimes remakes spoil a song, but a lot of times they bring old melodies back and create nostalgia for people who grew up with them,” Sonu recalls, adding how even he discovered Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra only through reimagined versions of their music.

The revival of Bijuria comes with a sense of nostalgia. Originally released as part of his third non-film album, Mausam the track was a deliberate attempt at pure pop. “I had the freedom to choose what I wanted to sing. We weren’t thinking of movies at all—it was a pop project. And now, after 26 years, it’s finding its way into a film. It is an incredible thing, really,” he says.

At the time of its release, Bijuria stood out for more than just its sound. Its music video, featuring Sonu as a ghost, captured the imagination of young audiences. “That caught the fancy of youngsters like Varun Dhawan back then, which is why he has always had so much love for the song,” he recalls. In fact, both Sonu and Varun, the former says, had been considering its revival around the same time—a coincidence that helped secure its place in the upcoming film.

For Sonu, the recording sessions remain etched in memory. The album had to be wrapped up quickly as his younger sister’s wedding was approaching. “I attended every single session. We had legends like Shivamani, Rupert Fernandes and many others contributing. The bonding we shared as a team is what reflects in the success of the album. That is why people are still in love with the songs,” he concludes.