First came the beat, then came bhangra, along came beeji and bauji and on their heels came entire Punjab, into the world of Indian cinema with so much swag that it refused to leave. It is now here to stay, say experts.
The Punjabi addiction has been doing balle balle on the Hindi film screens for a long time now, but some things have certainly changed with time.
Earlier, the state’s imprint was limited to a film’s music and was represented largely by clans like the Kapoors and the Chopras, but of late the footprint has increasingly expanded to include Punjabi locations, language and even lead roles played by none other than the actors from the agrarian land.
Diljit Dosanjh and Badshah on Koffee With Karan season 6. Source: YouTube
The ‘Punjabification of Bollywood’ is a phenomenon that began with the powerful invasion of Punjabi music in the late '90s and has reached a point where Punjab listens today, what India will hear tomorrow.
The transition from a song carrying a few Punjabi words to an entire song in Punjabi has been rather a quick one, feels Delhi-based film critic, Mimansa Shekhar.
“Earlier songs used to be peppered with a few Punjabi words like Makhna, Kudi, and Saade naal, but now the entire song is penned in Punjabi and people have loved these renditions, irrespective of the fact that more than half of India cannot speak or understand Punjabi,” Ms Shekhar told SBS Punjabi.
Stills from Punjabi and Hindi versions of the 'Laung-Laachi' song. Source: YouTube
“Imagine a north Indian listening to an entire song in Bhojpuri or Tamil, will they listen to it again? Probably not," said Ms Shekhar.
“But Punjabi songs have that power to pull you in, and that can be attributed to the powerful beats or simply the rich Punjabi culture that fascinates people from outside north India.”
Language and location:
Next came in the language, which brought in a form of crossover vocabulary in Bollywood films, where dialogues suddenly began to be punctured with Punjabi words and the accent adopted a sing-song quality that fitted the stereotype of a Punjabi.
So much so that today every Indian arguably understands the meaning of colloquial words like tussi, oye, soni, hanji and mauja.
Still from Jab We Met. Source: YouTube
“Although the Punjabi they speak in Bollywood movies is a hybrid version closer to Hindi, but there are films where an entire dialogue is spoken in Punjabi and people are expected to understand. But this rarely happens with other regional languages,” said Mr Thukral.
‘Punjab is the new Paris’
Punjab has also emerged as the new Paris for filmmakers who are increasingly lapping-up the idea of using the state as the set-up for the storyline, encouraging many to shoot at real locations in the state.
The film that popularised the trend for valorizing a quintessential 'Punjabiyat' was Yash Raj Films’ Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, which witnessed one of Bollywood’s most-loved couple romancing in the golden mustard fields.
Still from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Source: YouTube
“One it is great for the business, second it saves production cost and travel time and third, it adds the reality factor to the film, and lastly, you’re promoting regional talent. So it’s a win-win for all,” said Mr Raniga.
Lead actors:
Since the mid-90s, Bollywood filmmakers have attempted to reflect the rising economic and political power of the Sikh diaspora through token inclusions of Sikhs, often relegated to comic roles, for instance, Parzaan Dastur’s role in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or Anupam Kher’s character in Mohabbatein.
Actors Parzaan Dastur (L) and Anupam Kher (R). Source: YouTube
“This was quite a sick portrayal of Sikhs. They have this basic formula. Make them do really silly things, crack stupid jokes, dancing around for no reason, and then they justify all of this with a religious reference to appease the community. Why can’t you find our normal?” Mr Singh pointed-out in his vlog.
Mr Thukral, however, believes that things are slowly evolving. Now it’s suddenly “not funny, but cool to don a turban.”
"There is a profusion of Sikh characters in lead roles, for example, Saif in Love Aaj Kal or Akshay in Kesari,” said Mr Thukral.
Actors who are Sikhs in real life represent a brand new paradigm in Bollywood films, which Mr Thukral believes is the “most graceful evidence of a positive transition in mainstream media.”
Diljit Dosanjh in a still from Arjun Patiala. Source: YouTube
“What though would be interesting to watch is if these new generation actors would be able to sustain the love audience has for Punjab and Punjabiyat or would take this so-called obsession a notch further,” he added.
