Coronavirus Outbreak: Berklee College of Music gives Dil Chahta Hai a new spin to support Indian artistes

Around 112 students of the Berklee College of Music have come together to present a new rendition of the popular Hindi number ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ from the movie of the same name. Released in 2001, the film gave a new definition to friendships as portrayed on the screen as well as in real life.

The initiative has been taken by Berklee India Exchange (BIX) to support the marginalized Indian artists who have been adversely affected because of the pandemic.

Shankar Mahadevan, who was one of the composers for ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ song, has teamed up with the Berklee Indian Ensemble to present an endearing new version of the hit title track.

Watch the video here

The music video of the new version was posted on Berklee’s official YouTube page. The video begins with Aamir Khan saying that of all the films he has done, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ is one of his most favourite songs.

Then speaking about what his heart wants (the literal translation of Dil Chahta Hai), the actor says, he would want that “anyone who is suffering in any way finds relief as soon as possible. And that better days return."

The collaboration came about through the efforts of BIX and T-Series.

Several popular faces from the Hindi entertainment industry like Shankar Mahadevan, Farhan Akhtar, Salim Merchant, Benny Dayal, Neeti Mohan, Shalmali Kholgade then feature in the video, all holding a poster that reads what their heart wants. The video also features the 112 artists from 21 different countries.

In an interaction with Bombay Times, Clint Valladres, senior managing director from Berklee College of Music said that they chose that particular song because they wanted to showcase a song that can uplift and inspire people during these challenging times.

Directed by Farhan Akhtar, Dil Chahta Hai starred Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Khanna and Preity Zinta in lead roles.