Delhi-based DJ-producer duo MadStarBase, comprising Neal Sekhri and Anant Ahuja, has signed a deal with legacy Indian label Saregama to officially release four remixes of classic Hindi film songs that first circulated as unauthorized bootlegs. The agreement follows a similar pact the pair struck with Universal Music in 2024, turning viral reworks into commercial catalogue.
The Saregama remixes
The four tracks, part of MadStarBase’s “Mollywood” series, will roll out across June. They include:
- Piya Tu: originally by R. D. Burman from Caravan (1971)
- Dum Maaro Dum: R. D. Burman, Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1972)
- Meri Umar (a rework of Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s Om Shanti Om from Karz, 1980)
- Saat Samundar: Viju Shah, Vishwatma (1992)
The duo’s “Mollywood” reworks have gained international traction through sets by artists such as Diplo, DJ Craze, and Nina Las Vegas, as well as on radio and platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
From takedowns to official releases
The duo created these edits between 2015 and 2020, with Piya Tu among their earliest. They began playing them live around 2016, and the crowd response spurred more productions. As the tracks gained traction on TikTok, particularly in Tier-III and Tier-IV cities, they were hit with copyright takedown notices from platform backends, not direct legal threats from labels.
“We made these four tracks between 2015 and 2020. ‘Piya Tu’ was one of the first edits we ever made. We started playing them around 2016 onwards. [Seeing] the crowd reaction, we kept making more and playing them more. They were taken down from the major platforms once they started getting lots of plays. They made a splash on TikTok [on which they] went viral and were heavily used [by users] in Tier-III and Tier-IV cities. We were issued copyright takedown notices from the platform backends, not legal notices from the labels.”
After a year or two, Universal Music India approached them with an offer to officially release the remixes. That deal covered their viral version of Mehbooba Mehbooba (from Sholay, 1975), which had amassed millions of YouTube streams despite repeated removals, along with Wada Karo (Aa Gale Lag Jaa, 1973), Biddu’s Aap Jaisa Koi and Kalyanji-Anandji’s Laila O Laila (both from Qurbani, 1980).
“A year or two passed since the initial strike downs of the songs on major platforms, and then Universal Music India reached out to us saying they wanted to officially release the remixes. This was unexpected but encouraging so we worked that out with them first. After that we proactively reached out to Saregama and shared the approach taken by Universal. The only difference [between the deals] is that Universal reached out proactively, and that sort of gave us the blueprint to take to Saregama.”
Advice and industry shift
Asked what other producers should consider, the duo offered blunt counsel:
“Be arrogant and be raw. There’s no right or wrong way of making a bootleg. If your authenticity shows through the track then you’re doing it the right way. Also, some songs don’t need remixes (or more remixes).”
They also see a broader change in how labels view dance music culture.
“Maybe labels are realising this is one avenue to engage in a healthy way with dance music culture and the youth.”
