The Kishore Kumar Song That Has Become Gen Z’s Voice

How did a melancholic Kishore Kumar classic from 1964, remixed decades later, become the unlikely soundtrack to a Gen Z protest?

The Gen Z protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, that took place at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in July saw the young and restless express their dissent in some very creative ways.

Where else can you see youngsters bringing Marvel and DC together by cosplaying as Spider-Man, Batman, The Hulk and Superman to show their anger against the Indian government over the mishandling of the NEET exam paper leaks?

Movie songs were also played during the protests to bring more enthusiasm to the young crowds, with the popular hits like Khoon Chala (Rang De Basanti), Chak De India (Chak De! India) and Sadda Haq (Rockstar), among others, playing at the venue.

And thanks to one 19-year-old Instagram creator, an old Kishore Kumar song has now found a connection with a younger audience, albeit in a reworked form.

WATCH: The Viral Reel of Abhinav Bisht From Delhi Protests

Although Meta, allegedly on the orders of the government, suspended his Instagram account briefly because of the videos he posted from the protests, Abhinav Bisht managed to win the hearts of the Gen Z crowd and grab the Internet’s attention, mostly thanks to one video.

The one where he and two fellow protesters perform to Teri Galiyon Mein Mohabbat Hogi. Or, to be more specific, where they perform the trending head-bopping dance move on the streets in the middle of the protests before being dragged away.

If you check Abhinav’s Instagram profile, he had uploaded several more videos of him and other Gen-Z attendees performing on the reel on various days of the protest.

Thanks to the young lad, the song became so viral that even the lead cast of Khosla Ka Ghosla 2, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Parvin Dabas and Ranvir Shorey, attempted to pull off a similar reel.

When Faisu Popularised Teri Galiyon Mein Trend in 2019

If you are someone who has been following this kind of viral content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok (before it was banned in India), the popularity of this song should not feel new to you.

This particular portion was made famous in 2019 by influencers and content creators Faisal Shaikh, aka Mr Faisu, and Hasnain Khan, when they used to be the founding members of the group Team 7 and produced viral content for TikTok and later Instagram. The video of Team 7 performing to the song was an instant hit on TikTok, and eventually others began to replicate their moves through their own recreations.

In fact, if you check how the song is uploaded on Instagram Reels including Abhinav’s own video from the protests, it is often credited to Fasnain Fandom, ‘Fasnain’ being the name fans of Faisu and Hasnain Khan have given to the duo.

While they were instrumental in turning this particular portion of a very famous song into a viral trend, including that head-bop, ‘Fasnain’ were not the ones who came up with this popular remix version.

The Original Classic From 1964

Before we get into that, let’s first talk about the original song, one that continues to mesmerise listeners even after six decades.

Mr X In Bombay is a sci-fi romantic comedy starring Kishore Kumar and Kumkum.

Released in 1964, the movie had Kishore Kumar play a poet who gains the power of invisibility and uses it to win the heart of his ladylove and save her from the clutches of a blackmailing villain.

In fact, it was the third film to feature an invisible character named Mr X, after a 1938 movie starring Jayant (Amjad Khan’s father) and a 1954 film starring Kishore Kumar’s elder brother Ashok Kumar, both titled Mr X. So, Mr X In Bombay can be seen as a sort of spiritual successor to both films.

In 2015, there was yet another Mr X, directed by Vikram Bhatt, which also featured an invisible protagonist, this time played by Emraan Hashmi.

Mr X In Bombay features some beautiful songs composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi and Asad Bhopali. Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar sang the tracks in the film, with the most famous song being Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi.

WATCH: Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi From Mr X

The song, picturised on Kishore Kumar in Bombay, comes at a point when the hero, saddened by the heroine’s rejection of his love, plans to end his life.

After the song ends, he attempts to do so by drinking from what he thinks is a bottle of poison. Only it turns out to be a liquid that makes a man invisible. Later, in his invisible form, he sings the same song again at the heroine’s house, making her believe that it is the ghost of the poet singing to her.

There is a certain melancholy in the song that has the power to connect with the listener. And if you think about it, the present-day generation loves to latch on to songs that come with a tinge of the pain of a broken heart. Which also explains why this song went viral decades later.

The Remix That Captured The Gen-Z Protests of 2026

The viral stanza comes from the second line of the song, Aaj Rusva Teri Galiyon Mein Mohabbat Hogi, written by the great Anand Bakshi, which translates to ‘Today, love will be disgraced in your streets’.

But as you can guess, the voice in the viral song doesn’t belong to the legendary Kishore Kumar.

Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi has seen several cover versions and remixes, including ones by Sanam and Yo Yo Honey Singh, over the years.

The one featured in the viral song belongs to singer Abhay Jain, who is popular on YouTube for his rendition of devotional tracks and cover versions of popular Hindi melodies. His voice also sounds quite similar to Arijit Singh’s, which is why some fans are confused about whether the National Award-winning singer had sung this version of the song.

That said, it isn’t the unplugged version itself that went on to become a trend among the youth. Abhay Jain’s rendition was used as the base for a remix created by DJ Laxman Rawat Ajmer, DJ Raju and DJ Girdhari.

The remix has crossed 100 million views on YouTube. It is from here that the beats were picked up and shared across social media platforms, with Team 7 helping boost their popularity through their reels.

And now, well, whoever thought a Kishore Kumar song about a broken heart would become a protest anthem of sorts among the Gen-Z crowds six decades later!

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