Thursday, April 20, 2017

11 Times Hollywood Showed It's Love for Bollywood by Using Hindi Songs in their Movies



Movies are a religion in India. We can talk, walk, eat and sleep on Movies. And Bollywood songs makes us all tick at the end of the day - the taste might be different but Bollywood just runs

Hollywood Superhero flicks have been minting money at Indian box office like Salman Khan movies on Eid. There is no stopping them - the craze for them feels exponential, considering the huge collections they make. So its no surprise Hollywood wants to keep the cash registers rolling by making their films more attractive for a regular Indian.

The first step was dubbing in local Indian languages for a wider release. Hollywood movies now get dubbed not just in Hindi but languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi and even Bhojpuri. 

The second step was getting leading Indian (esp Bollywood) Superstars to dub for these versions. So last year, Disney's THE JUNGLE BOOK hindi version itself had voiceovers by Nana Patekar, Priyanka Chopra, Om Puri, Irrfan Khan and Shefali Shah for the main characters. Indeed the film had an Indian setting, but Disney left no stone unturned to market the movie. The result was that the live action children's film became the highest grossing Hollywood movie in India, shattering records with a nett collection of Rs 181.75 crore (figure courtesy BollywoodHungama.com).

2016's THE JUNGLE BOOK also brought together Academy Award winner Gulzar and music composer Vishal Bhardawaj to recreate their 90s popular track for the TV series on the same story. The result was an instant hit- it evoked nostalgia among the grown ups while making the new generation fall for a melodious rhyme.

Marvel Studios today released a promotional trailer for the sequel of its 2014's highly successful American superhero movie GUARDIAN OF THE GALAXY cut on the 80s chartbuster JHOOM JHOOM JHOOM BABA, Hollywood movie fans in India can not stop raving about it. The movie, just like its predecessor, is said to be full of abundant thrills, spectacular action and cheesy humor - just like a quintessential Bollywood Entertainer. And now with Bappi Lahiri's disco track from the 1984 movie KASAM PAIDA KARNE WALE KI also part of the movie, expect nothing but fireworks among the audience.

Hollywood movies have on and off used Hindi tracks in their stories and we have loved watching even the slightest of such reference. Here are 10 other popular times Hollywood showed it's love for Bollywood by using Hindi Songs their movies:


1) LION




Year: 2016
Song: Urvasi
Original Film: KADHALAN (1994)

Originally a Tamil Song composed by Academy Award winner A.R. Rahman from the 1994 film KADHALAN, the song has an equally famous hindi version for the dubbed Hindi film version called HUM SE HAI MUQABLA. But when last year LION used the tamil song to depict the bubbling romance between Dev Patel and Rooney Mara, the scene brought nothing but instant smiles on our faces. It was instant love at first sight wali feeling for the two characters, with shots of Rooney hopping on street and Dev's boy-next-door smile as the Tamil song played in the background.


2) DEADPOOL




Year: 2016
Song: Mera Joota Hai Japani
Original Film: SHREE 420 (1955)

Last year's Blockbuster DEADPOOL, starring Ryan Reynolds, had the Indian audiences mesmerised by featuring the phenomenally popular song Mera Joota Hain Japani from Raj Kapoor-Nargis starrer Shree 420 in the opening scenes. Perfect way to make us music loving country go, WooHoo. The movie also featured Kabhi Humne Nahin Socha Tha.


3) THE DICTATOR




Year: 2011
Song: Mundian To Bach Ke
Original Film: BOOM (2003)


Before RGV KI AAG became synonymous for the term 'epic disaster' in 2007, Amitabh Bachchan starred in the highly inappropriate BOOM in 2003. Directed by Kaizad Gustad, the film was also the launchpad of Katrina Kaif. However the film's soundtrack was a huge chartbuster.

Punjabi MC's popular track Mundian To Bach Ke from BOOM was used for the trailer of Sacha Baron Cohen's wildly inappropriate comedy THE DICTATOR. Quite an explosive combination, a feat that people loved, making at least the trailer a major hit among the masses in India.


4) THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND




Year: 2008
Song: Chalka Chalka Re and Swasame
Original Movie: SAATHIYA (2002) and THENALI (2000)


Two more A.R. Rahman composition and another Hollywood mainstream movie. West surely loved the maestro before getting him for themselves with the multiple Academy Award winning 2008 drama, Slumdog Millionaire.

The Umar Thurman flick featured the popular song Chalka Chalka Re from the 2002 Rani Mukherjee-Vivek Oberoi starrer SAATHIYA. The way the music of Chalka Chalka Re makes the entire sequence featuring Uma a super fun watch.

The film also used the song, Swasame from the Tamil film, THENALI in the final scene and beginning of the credits roll. Sung to perfection by S.P.Balasubrahmanyam and Sadhana Sargam, Swasame is love ballad - a perfect way to end the movie.


5) INSIDE MAN




Year: 2006
Song: Chaiyya Chaiyya
Original Film: Dil Se (1998)

The Denzel Washington-Clive Owen-Jodie Foster starrer featured the very popular song Chaiyya Chaiyya from the Shah Rukh Khan-Manisha Koirala movie Dil Se.. This A.R. Rahman classic saw its place in the opening credits of the bank heist thriller as Clive Owen spoke to the camera to explain who-what-where-what-when about himself. Totally awesome feel.


6) LORD OF WAR




Year: 2005
Song: Bombay Theme
Original Movie: BOMBAY (1995)


There is no stopping for A.R. Rahman. The genius's classic theme music from Mani Ratnam's masterpiece Bombay was used in 2005's Nicolas Cage starrer LORD OF WAR in the background as Cage narrates the morality of his work as an Arms Dealer as he is being chased by an Interpol agent. What a bliss!



7) ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND




Year: 2004
Song: Mera Mann Tera Pyaasa & Wada Na Tod
Original Films: GAMBLER (1971) and DIL TUJHKO DIYA (1987)

This Hollywood romantic gem starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet featured not just one but two Hindi songs. Mohammad Rafi's soulful Mera Mann Tera Pyaasa from GAMBLER (Starring Dev Anand and Shatrughan Sinha) and Lata Mangeshkeshkar's mellodious Wada Na Tod from DIL TUJHKO DIYA (Starring Kumar Gaurav and Rati Agnihotri) can be heard playing in the backdrop in the the scene after Clementine (Winslet) announces that she is going to marry Joel (Carrey). Pretty neat!


8) SHAUN OF THE DEAD




Year: 2004
Song: Lehron Ki Tarha Yaadein
Original Film: NISHAAN (1983)


Kishore Kumar's Lehron Ki Tarha Yaadein plays in the background as Shaun, played by Simon Pegg walks in to a departmental store just as the zombie outbreak begins. Don't miss the Hindi announcement in the radio about the outbreak!



9) THE GURU




Year: 2002
Song: Chori Chori Hum Gori Se Pyar Kareinge
Original Film: MELA (2000)


From the makers of NOTTING HILL and BRIDGET JONES, 2002's THE GURU is about a man who knows what turns you on. Aamir Khan's MELA was an epic disaster but the prolific makers surely loved the Rajesh Roshan composed track, Chori Chori Hum Gori Se Pyar Kareinge, a lot as the Dancing Sex Guru and all his wide-eyed American disciples dance to the beats of the song. 

Caution: Not for faint-hearted.



10) MOULIN ROUGE




Year: 2001
Song: Chamma Chamma
Original Film: China Gate (1998)

The only thing good about Rajkumar Santoshi's attempt for a Sholay with China Gate was Urmila Matondkar's dancing to Anu Malik's tunes of Chamma Chamma. It was an instant hit. And in 2001, when Baz Luhrmann brought musical back to Hollywood with MOULIN ROUGE, the maverick filmmaker picked the same song and featured it as the opening song for Nicole Kidman's Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend performance. Not just the music, the dance choreography was and is still a major delight.


11) GHOST WORLD




Year: 2001
Song: Jaan Pehchan
Original Film: GUMNAAM (1965)

It will always be a sight for much cheer watching the 2001 American Black comedy, Scarlet Johansson starrer GHOST WORLD open with the visuals of the peppy cabret number Jaan Pehchaan (sung by Mohammed Rafi) from the 1965 suspense thriller GUMNAAM. Picturised on Laxmi Chhaya and choreographer Herman Benjamin, the song sequence is one not to be missed.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Memoir of a Farewell

  "Do you even know who goes to church on Thursday? Losers". That's Missy to Mandy in the Season Finale of Young Sheldon. I do...