From Jimmy Fallon to HK cricketers, why’s the world jiving to ‘Kaala Chashma’?

Mumbai, Aug 29 (IANS): The film was a dud, but the Badshah song, picturised on Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra, has garnered 1.2 billion (and counting!) YouTube views. And today, the world seems to be dancing to its perky Punjabi rap tune.
Be it Team India, American night TV host Jimmy Fallon, singer-actress Demi Lovato, Hong Kong cricketers, children from Africa or Indian aunties, everyone seems to have been gripped by the ‘Kala Chashma’ fever that has been raging on the Internet.
Recently, as Team India registered its revenge win against the Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup, Bollywood stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Ananya Panday, too, vibed to the track to celebrate the victory. What explains this sudden rage over an old song?
The song in question is from the 2016 sci-fi comedy ‘Baar Baar Dekho’ starring Katrina Kaif and SidharthMalhotra. The track is a remake of London-based Punjabi singer Amar Arshi’s hit 1990s track of the same name. The film, directed by Mira Nair’s acolyte and ‘Life of Pi’ and ‘The Namesake’ screenwriter Nitya Mehra, barely made a profit.
The song gained prominence on the Internet after a video of the Norwegian hip-hop/urban dance group called Quick Style grooving to the song during a wedding went viral.

Indians and the diaspora across the world connected with Quick Style’s gig because of the relatability factor and a group from an unrelated part of the world grooving to a homegrown track.
Quick Style also performed to a bunch of other songs from the sub-continent, including ‘Kana Yaari’ from Coke Studio Season 14, ‘Chura Ke Dil Mera’ from the Akshay Kumar, Shilpa Shetty and Saif Ali Khan-starrer 1990s hit ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’, ‘Tumse Milke Dil Ka Jo Haal’ from the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Main Hoon Na’ and ‘Saddi Gully’ from Kangana Ranaut and R. Madhavan’s ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ (2011).
Quick Style’s ‘Kaala Chashma’ video, meanwhile, has garnered more than 2.4 million likes as of August 2022.