Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Tidbit Tuesday: A Touch of Indian Fun!

Ao, jhoome, gaae, nach kare!

Lol, not making much sense? I'm asking you to come enjoy yourself, sing a little, and make merry, but all in Hindi!

As most of you know by now, I write culture-based fiction with Mauritian culture as the base. But the thing is, the Mauritian culture I am most conversant with is the Indian culture, since my ancestors came from there. Indian-origin Mauritians are just another facet of the diaspora across the world.

It's no wonder that I'm a rabid fan of Indian movies, Bollywood as it's known. The particularity of these movies? They're almost always (99.9%) musicals. The soundtrack of a movie can make or break it, and sometimes the music is a hit while the movie is a flop.

I heard this song over the weekend and I immediately thought of the heroine in my current WIP. She too is a Desi Girl. That's the way of calling an Indian girl - desi being the adjective derived from the word des or desh, which means the homeland/motherland of India.

Listening to the lyrics and watching this clip was a load of fun! Here it is for you, and lo and behold, I even found translation for the lyrics (Courtesy of http://www.bollyfm.net/).
The clip is from the movie Dostana. The story basically is about the two blokes (Abhishek Bachan, who wears the black waistcoat, and John Abraham, the other hunk who happens to be a former Indian supermodel converted to acting) and this girl (Priyanka Chopra, former Miss India and Miss World). Set in Miami, the two guys are looking for the perfect flat, which they do find. The catch - the landlady has her niece coming over to stay in the flat across the landing (Priyanka) and doesn't want to let the flat to 2 blokes. In order to get the flat, the guys pretend they're a gay couple. Everyone thinks they're an item, including Priyanka, but each is trying everything to make her fall for him! Needless to say, there's laughter galore in this one!

Now check the clip, and jhoome aur nach kare!

Side note - Priyanka is wearing a sari in there, which traditionally is wrapped around the legs and tied around the hips, below the navel. See why Indian girls need hips, a little belly flab, and love handles? Or else their saris won't hold on flat, non-existent hips!
Second side note - John Abraham (the one in the dark grey, opened shirt), is the man I see when I close my eyes and picture the second man in the love triangle I have set up in the WIP! :)




These are the lyrics, with the translation:

Translated Lyrics
Male:

My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl
Girl Girl Girl Girl……
My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl
Girl Girl Girl Girl……

Jhoomka Girade
(IF) SHE DROPS HER DANGLING EARRINGS
Jo Mila Le Agar Woh Nazar Se Nazar Mitade
(IF) SHE MEETS YOUR GLANCE, SHE'LL DESTROY YOU

Nachke Dikhade
(IF) SHE DANCES
Sabki Dhadhkan Bhi Kadam Se Kadam Milade
EVERYONES HEARTBEATS WILL MATCH HER FOOTSTEPS

Verse 1:
Lehron Se Chal Ke Jaal Bicha De
SHE'LL WALK ON WAVES AND SET A TRAP
Dil Ko Ye Behaal Banade:
SHE'LL UNREST YOUR HEART
Saare Deewane Maane
ALL THE CRAZED ONES BELIEVE
Na Dekhi Koi Aisi Girl
THEY'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A GIRL
Na Dekhi Koi Aisi Girl
THEY'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A GIRL

Chorus:

Dekhi Lakh Lakh Pardesi Girl
I'VE SEEN A MILLION FOREIGN GIRLS
Ain’t Nobody Like My Desi Girl
AIN'T NOBODY LIKE MY INDIAN GIRL

Dekhi Lakh Lakh Pardesi Girl
I'VE SEEN A MILLION FOREIGN GIRLS
Sab Toh Soni Na Saadi Desi Girl
EVERYONE IS PRETTY BUT THE SIMPLEST IS INDIAN GIRL

Who’s The Hottest Girl In The World
My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl

Thumka Lagaike She’ll Rock Your World
WITH A HIP THRUST (AS IN A DANCE), SHE'LL ROCK YOUR WORLD
My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl

My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl

Verse 2:
Ade Kamar Pe Jo Nazar
IF YOU GLANCE AT HER WAIST
Saare Saapnon Mein Rang Bhar Jaaye
ALL YOUR DREAMS WILL BE FILLED WITH COLOR
Jo Tham Le Woh Haath Toh
IF SHE HOLDS YOUR HAND
Huske Hi Aashiq Mar Jaayein
THE LOVER WILL DIE SMILING

Female:
Dhoondon Jahan Mein Chahe Kahin
NO MATTER WHERE YOU SEARCH IN THE WORLD
Na Tumko Milegi Koi Aisi Girl
YOU FILL NOT FIND SUCH A GIRL

Male:
Dekhi Lakh Lakh Pardesi Girl
Ain’t Nobody Like My Desi Girl

Dekhi Lakh Lakh Pardesi Girl
Sab Toh Soni N Saadi Desi Girl

Who’s The Hottest Girl In The World
My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl

Thumka Lagaike She’ll Rock Your World
My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl

My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl
Girl Girl Girl Girl……

Female:
Jahan Jahan Bhi Jau Main
WHEREVER I GO
Saari Nazrein Toh Peche Peche Aiye
ALL EYES FOLLOW ME
Ruku Zara Mein Jo Yahan
IF I STOP FOR A WHILE HERE
Thandi Thandi Saari Saase Tham Jaye
EVERYONE HEAVES A COLD SIGH
Sabki Nigahon Ne Hai Kaha
EVERYONE'S EYES HAVE SAID
Ke Khwaabon Mein Hai Dekhi Meri Jaisi Girl
THAT IN THEIR DREAMS THEY'VE SEEN A GIRL LIKE ME
Meri Jaisi Girl
A GIRL LIKE ME

Dekhi Lakh Lakh Pardesi Girl
Ain’t Nobody Like A Desi Girl

Dekhi Lakh Lakh Pardesi Girl
Sab Toh Soni Lagdi Desi Girl

Who’s The Hottest Girl In The World

Male:
My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl

Female:
Thumka Lagaike She’ll Rock Your World

Male:
My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl

Jhoomka Girade
Jo Mila Le Agar Woh Nazar Se Nazar Mitade

Nachke Dikhade
Sabki Dhadhkan Bhi Kadam Se Kadam Milade
Lehron Se Chaal Ke Jaal Bicha De
Dil Ko Yu Behaal Banade
Saare Deewane Maane
Na Dekhi Koi Aisi Girl

Na Dekhi Koi Aisi Girl

Dekhi Lakh Lakh Pardesi Girl
Ain’t Nobody Like My Desi Girl

Dekhi Lakh Lakh Pardesi Girl
Sab Toh Soni N Saadi Desi Girl

Who’s The Hottest Girl In The World
My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl

Thumka Lagaike She’ll Rock Your World
My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl

My Desi Girl
My Desi Girl
Girl Girl Girl Girl……

******

From Mauritius with love,

Zee

10 comments:

Rebecca Royce said...

Thank you for sharing this with us! What a great blog today Z!

Chicki Brown said...

Cute! I love musicals!

What's with all the blondes in the background? Is that done to make the dark-haired ones stand out, or are there at lot of Indian blondes?

J Hali Steele said...

Zee! Thanks for sharing a bit of your culture with us. I'll be saying that all day, ya know!! :)

Brenda said...

What a wonderful post. I really enjoyed reading it.

Sandy said...

They certainly were having fun dancing. Smile. Very good blog today, Zee.

I can remember when I was much younger when most of our movies were musicals. We had some great ones, too, like Sound of Music and many others.

Zee Monodee said...

Thanks Rebecca! It was lots of fun putting this together, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Hugs, & thanks for coming over

Zee Monodee said...

Hey Chicki

Lol, nope, there aren't Indian blondes. This movie is set in Miami, hence the many blonde/White girls in this scene which is a wedding reception for an Indian girl there. And yeah, I guess to offset the 'Desi Girl' too. :)

I gotta convert you to the Indian musicals! The DVDs all have subtitles *wink*

Hugs

Zee Monodee said...

Lol, J! Glad you liked it, girl. Indian culture is beautiful and lots of mazza (fun!).

Hugs

Zee Monodee said...

Heya Brenda!

Glad you could come by and check this out!

Hugs

Zee Monodee said...

Sandy,

A bit part of the masti and mazza (party and fun) in Indian culture is dancing and music. Almost every wedding has some dance, whether imprompu or event-managed, in its happening.

I remember The Sound of Music. Lately I got hooked on the new musicals like Moulin Rouge, Chicago, and Mamma Mia.

Hugs