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Ranbir Kapoor’s new solo dance number, ‘Pyaar Hota Kayi Baar Hai,’ from the film Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, just dropped and gave us major ‘Badtameez Dil’ vibes.
However, upon closer inspection, it reminded us of Kartik Aaryan’s own new dance song, ‘Character Dheela 2.0,’ from Shehzada, which, confusingly, looks like Kartik’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 title track.
We wish we could say this is a fluke, a rare occurrence, or an anomaly. But it’s not! Both of these songs reminded us of a lot of similar tracks we’ve heard recently. Watching these music videos gave us the impression that there is a certain homogeneity pervading today’s Bollywood club song videos. Why is this happening in an industry known for its catchy dance songs?
‘Pyaar Hota Kayi Baar Hai’ and ‘Character Dheela 2.0’ have similarities.
In terms of Kartik’s styling, the look of the sets, the lighting, and the way it was shot, Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 song was uncannily similar to ‘Character Dheela 2’. We see the same flashing club lights, a hero dancing with women around him, and a pool party in the two new songs featuring Kartik and Ranbir.
To be sure, Bhool Bhulaiyaa was a huge commercial success. But does that mean that things from it will be repeated?
Is Bollywood becoming formulaic and shying away from risky originality? Director-producer Karan Johar has repeatedly stated in interviews with Anupama Chopra for Film Companion that Bollywood is becoming more formulaic in order to avoid risk. “We take that big movie star, give all the money to that movie star, and then we are making a kind of template commercial film. We’re not pushing the envelope at all.”
People are recreating what worked previously in order to avoid failure by experimenting with the new and unknown. However, this comes at the expense of originality.
Shouldn’t the videos be hatke if remakes are being made?
Salman Khan’s original ‘Character Dheela’ track looks like gold in comparison to the new version, according to Twitter. Remakes frequently elicit this reaction because many people enjoy the nostalgia of the original. However, this time it’s also because the video offers nothing new, whereas the original was quite quirky and creative in that regard.
We all know this is just a dance number. However, just because it’s a dance song doesn’t mean it can’t be creative. Dancing and music are integral parts of Hindi cinema, and they reflect the industry’s distinctiveness. It combines music, set design, fashion, choreography, star powder, lighting, and many other elements.
Not experimenting in that area means foregoing one of Bollywood’s most well-known selling points.
Bollywood is known for its music videos, so more of those are needed.
Pathaan has released some great music videos this year that have reintroduced the fun and thrill of a well-executed dance track. Both ‘Besharam Rang’ and ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ had great videos that you want to re-watch, dance to, enjoy the fashion of, and remember as refreshing and original.
Given how long Bollywood has been associated with musical numbers and vibrant song videos, one wishes for the same flavor in dance tracks. No one is claiming that a serious indie art film must include a colorful dance track. But, if a commercial film must have such numbers, why not make them a little more creative?
