Dance like an indian

September 17, 2008 7:45 AM

You're my Love

Pehli Nazar (First Look)

Salaam-E-Ishq (Salute thy Love)

Tujhe Aksa Beach Ghuma Doon (May I show you around Aksa Beach)

Singh is King

posted by hadjiboy (25 comments total)

Please don't crucify me for this, but I thought we could all use a bit of cheering up, if that is what you're able to take away from these videos...

(I know I sure did, even though I wasn't that big a fan of Bollywood until recently)
posted by hadjiboy at 7:47 AM on September 17, 2008

Christ, I forgot to add that these are songs in hindi available on youtube, for those of you who hate to click on the links in the fpp to find out what the content of the post could be... my apologies.
posted by hadjiboy at 7:59 AM on September 17, 2008

Excuse me, I was informed there would be d-o-double-gizzle in this hizzle
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:00 AM on September 17, 2008

I vote AWESOME
posted by Jofus at 8:23 AM on September 17, 2008

These are great. Bollywood movies are fun, because I can watch one without subtitles, understanding not a single word, and still understand absolutely everything that is happening. The music is really syncretic, too — they happily pull in rap, rock, country, and any other genre that happens to come too close to the tractor beam.
posted by Forktine at 8:39 AM on September 17, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

East Manitoba, what the CRAP is going on in that video? Because I want in.
posted by schroedinger at 8:54 AM on September 17, 2008

OK, in that first link, was that reggaetón-style dembow fused with Hindi-pop harmonium? Because if so, I need to go prepare for the apocalypse.

Also, WIN and AWESOME.
posted by LMGM at 8:57 AM on September 17, 2008

If Snoop wearing a turban doesn't cheer you up, you're in trouble
posted by mannequito at 9:09 AM on September 17, 2008

yeah, Manitoba, that video is all CHEEZBURGER and MOAR PLZ. Hot diggity.
posted by LMGM at 9:13 AM on September 17, 2008

I thought that said Alaska Beach, and I'm like OH SHIT ANOTHER PALIN THREAD
posted by desjardins at 9:15 AM on September 17, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

This was great - makes me want to do a little dance routine in the office.

I'm the only one here, so no one else will have to suffer. :)
posted by HopperFan at 9:47 AM on September 17, 2008

Okay. This is fabulous, but you really can't have this thread without throwing in a little Daler Mendhi.

If Daler doesn't make you boogie, you're probably dead.
posted by mediocrates at 10:37 AM on September 17, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

I want these videos for my iPod.
posted by fluffycreature at 11:02 AM on September 17, 2008

Two big thumbs up from this guy. I can't sit through an entire Bollywood movie without prescription sedatives, but I could watch these videos all day. Unbelievable. Great post.
posted by alexwoods at 11:07 AM on September 17, 2008

I hug you, hadjiboy.
posted by not_on_display at 11:21 AM on September 17, 2008

I hug you, hadjiboy.

me too! sandwich hug!
posted by diablo37 at 2:22 PM on September 17, 2008

Here's a couple more. I can't help it. They're just fun.
Dhoom Tana
Darde Disco
posted by Carmody'sPrize at 3:41 PM on September 17, 2008

Salute my Love, 0:25, is that Jonathan Frankes?
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 4:21 PM on September 17, 2008

In addition to Friday Flash Fun, we need to institute Thursday Bollywood Cheering-up!

On second thoughts, why restrict it to Thursdays? Regardless of the day of week, everybody needs a hug bosom for a pillow.
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:51 PM on September 17, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

my favourite 'cheering up' bollywood song

[yes shahrukh is HOT]
posted by infini at 10:55 PM on September 17, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

infini: As much as I hate item-numbers unrelated to the film's story-arc, I'm particularly partial to that one. Not just for the overall hotness, but the sheer awesomeness in taking a 16th century Sufi song_(YouTube) in Punjabi, mixing a steam engine's whistle and a Punjabi dholak, and then somehow converting it all into an all-time dance-floor favourite. Of course, the later transplants into Bombay Dreams and Inside Man are just the desserts; I've always marvelled how the music composer, AR Rehman, travelled across genres and cultures through his music. Sets a fantastic metaphor for us globe-trotting, cross-cultural global Indians.
On that note, my preference these days is to watch them gora log dance to unrelated tongue-in-cheek Telugu folk songs. This one's so over-the-top in its Bollywood-usual love-metaphors, that it can only be a spoof on 'regular' item numbers; the singer, for instance, compares his romantic interest's ears with that of an elephant, her mouth to that of a mongoose, his singing to a donkey's braying, and her to a mouse. Absolutely does not make sense, unless you're used to love-songs in Indian movies. :-)
This one, OTOH, isn't a spoof. It's just MJ editted to dance to a 'real' Tollywood song. Fun nevertheless. :-)
posted by the cydonian at 2:43 AM on September 18, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

_{WHY did the paragraph-spacing vanish? :-O It was alright in auto-preview!}
posted by the cydonian at 2:45 AM on September 18, 2008

As much as I hate item-numbers unrelated to the film's story-arc

That's so true though, isn't it cydonian? I think it's because the item numbers are so good in their own right that they sort of detract the viewer from demanding a lot more from the story line, although I'm beginning to see that trend change, thankfully (ala Taare Zameen Par and Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na to name a few that I've seen and enjoyed in the past). Rock On is also supposed to be quite good, with Farhan Akthar making his debut as an actor I think--I haven't seen him in front of the camera before!
posted by hadjiboy at 6:02 AM on September 18, 2008

cydonian: that analysis rocks, there's just something about that song that just makes you wanna dance. btw, when are we doing the raincheck beer in singapore?

hadjiboy: what you all said, non story arc numbers are a pain but who am I to talk? I haven't seen a hindi movie since Dil Chaahta hai ...

though I did write about movies and their influence recently wrt how we see poor people in India, are they stereotyped in our minds like the "village rustic who is good hearted and simple" or the "nasty bania" etc? And how does this influence the development of products and services aimed at the rural or the urban poor? self link if you wanna add your two rupees worth on the pondering
posted by infini at 6:19 AM on September 18, 2008

btw, cydonian ref: your observation "This one's so over-the-top in its Bollywood-usual love-metaphors, that it can only be a spoof on 'regular' item numbers; the singer, for instance, compares his romantic interest's ears with that of an elephant, her mouth to that of a mongoose, his singing to a donkey's braying, and her to a mouse. Absolutely does not make sense, unless you're used to love-songs in Indian movies. :-)" - if you ever get the chance to go to one of hte libraries check out Lat's comics, he does a wonderful translation of the classic tamil movie songs "your eyes are marbles" etc He's a malaysian cartoonist that I'll do an FPP on one of these days.
posted by infini at 6:25 AM on September 18, 2008