Poor Bappi Da! All his life the joke, in Bangla tone, was, "Saara duniya Bappi Da ke GAAN ka deewana hai!". And now, in his 40th year in Bollywood, the man's singing, 'Mere 'L' Lag Gaye!'. Finally, fruition for that popular GAAN? Ouch! That is a crass joke, but then what else does a cheap movie marketing stunt like this deserve?
Here's a press release that landed in my inbox with the subject line: '40 years in the music industry and Bappi Ke 'L Lag Gaye'!'
And here's the complete press release: (even in the context of this view, I can visualise a PR person telling the producer, wink-wink, "Sir, publicity mili na? PIcture hit hogi!")
The news channels will play the videos adnauseum. Some will even have a round table discussing whether such ashleelta (vulgarity) is eroding social norms and should be permitted, but will intersperse the discussion with all past instances of vulgarity, ranging form Bhaag DK Bose Dk Bose DK to Andheri Raat Mein Diya Tere Haat Mein, to double entendre dialogue from that forgettable Kader Khan film, like, "Main teri loonga... photo!" to so many others.
And the youth will swing to it. The film's marketing team might even issue a Law Graduates statistic saying, "To date, itne laakh logon ke 'L lag Gaye Hain', referring to their obtaining LLB Degrees." "Talking point, Producer Sahab! Publicity milegi. Let us appropriate this expression, so that the next time at a Law College convocation, all the graduates, with their parents, family and friends, can toss their into the air and shriek with delight, " Mere L Lag Gaye!". The YouTube channel will be abuzz! Indian graduates from the Harvard and other international Law schools will say, "Mere International L Lag gaye!" And so the communication and business strategist will continue, prodding the miasma with the vulgar stick of crassness so the fumes will help cut the clutter.
Even Amir Khan, whom I admire as an actor and a human being, went ahead with 'Bhag DK Bose DK Bose DK' on the lines of, perhaps, funky creative freedom. What next from the Bollywood Poet's Society that's given us poetry even in situational songs? Just because some Jolly gets an LLB degree, he goes around singing Mere L Lag Gaye? How clever is that? And how crass, when promoted out of context. Doubtless this latest example of crassness too will get assigned to the dustbin of eminently forgettable -- and roundly forgotton -- songs that are used only to make you sit up an notice them like you would a dirty-mud splash were it to crash into your consciousness. The Fox Star MD has reportedly said in a press release, no less, that "he anthem", L Lag Gaye will be used yust to drive the footfalls and have RJs of othe 'Bhabhi' shows ilk blabber mischievously about it, giving it airplay and push the footfalls to the movie halls.
Here's a press release that landed in my inbox with the subject line: '40 years in the music industry and Bappi Ke 'L Lag Gaye'!'And here's the complete press release: (even in the context of this view, I can visualise a PR person telling the producer, wink-wink, "Sir, publicity mili na? PIcture hit hogi!")
The news channels will play the videos adnauseum. Some will even have a round table discussing whether such ashleelta (vulgarity) is eroding social norms and should be permitted, but will intersperse the discussion with all past instances of vulgarity, ranging form Bhaag DK Bose Dk Bose DK to Andheri Raat Mein Diya Tere Haat Mein, to double entendre dialogue from that forgettable Kader Khan film, like, "Main teri loonga... photo!" to so many others.
And the youth will swing to it. The film's marketing team might even issue a Law Graduates statistic saying, "To date, itne laakh logon ke 'L lag Gaye Hain', referring to their obtaining LLB Degrees." "Talking point, Producer Sahab! Publicity milegi. Let us appropriate this expression, so that the next time at a Law College convocation, all the graduates, with their parents, family and friends, can toss their into the air and shriek with delight, " Mere L Lag Gaye!". The YouTube channel will be abuzz! Indian graduates from the Harvard and other international Law schools will say, "Mere International L Lag gaye!" And so the communication and business strategist will continue, prodding the miasma with the vulgar stick of crassness so the fumes will help cut the clutter.
Even Amir Khan, whom I admire as an actor and a human being, went ahead with 'Bhag DK Bose DK Bose DK' on the lines of, perhaps, funky creative freedom. What next from the Bollywood Poet's Society that's given us poetry even in situational songs? Just because some Jolly gets an LLB degree, he goes around singing Mere L Lag Gaye? How clever is that? And how crass, when promoted out of context. Doubtless this latest example of crassness too will get assigned to the dustbin of eminently forgettable -- and roundly forgotton -- songs that are used only to make you sit up an notice them like you would a dirty-mud splash were it to crash into your consciousness. The Fox Star MD has reportedly said in a press release, no less, that "he anthem", L Lag Gaye will be used yust to drive the footfalls and have RJs of othe 'Bhabhi' shows ilk blabber mischievously about it, giving it airplay and push the footfalls to the movie halls.
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