There is no doubt about the fact that Shah Rukh Khan’s mere presence is adorable enough. But that doesn’t take away the fact that his Chennai Express song Lungi Dance which is a tribute to Superstar Rajnikanth fosters the existent cliches about South India.
As popular as Anna Ka Chashma is, the reference itself breeds typical stereotypes about the ‘Yenna Rascala’ man. Rajnikanth would find this amusing gesture flattering enough, but in general the Ready Steady Po people of this Rohit Shetty film are tickling the funny bones at the cost of harboring cliches about ‘South India’. The general Indian public often give the geographical ideas a miss when the club all 4 South Indian states together and blabber about their ‘Ille Ille Po’ which they translate as a funny way of saying NO NO GO! .
I am quite assured that not every Rajni fan has Lungi as their favorite attire and neither will they appreciate Lassi in their coconut! Not that I was expecting meaning in the lyrics of the song, but the song’s words are as meaningless as the aimless Deepika Padukone shaking her leg in this too-desperate-to-be-funny song.
Not to mention, that Honey Singh was an inappropriate cast as the singer. The man who surprisingly impresses the masses with his gibberish lyrics that derogates women in general, his stylish Jatt-rap voice is a misfit. When you are talking of ‘South-Indians’, it would have been better if the singer was more in sync with the culture of the man to whom the song is giving tribute.
Thalaiva which means leader, I assume has been used deliberately to emphasize on the colossal stature of the superstar. However, the diction that the singer fakes up in the song is offensive and reflects his signature style of rude humor quite unsurprisingly. Poking fun on the twang of a community is anything but Funny! If I were Tamil, I surely wouldn’t appreciate being cast into a cliched mould that generalizes the way Tamilians or ‘South Indians’ talk.
Perhaps, the only good thing about the song is the motive with which it was made. Paying respect to the man whose grandeur and style has smitten all and sundry, beyond language variations – the soul of the song salutes Rajnikanth, which is its stellar bit.
It is not alright poking fun on a community, and imitating or rather mimicking their way of talking. I wonder who is to be blamed here? Surely not Shah Rukh Khan. Simply because I am ,personally, too big a fan of his to blame him for anything!
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