Coming to America: A Bollywood story

I’ve never quite understood why it took the fame of Slumdog Millionaire to put India, much less Bollywood, on the map here in the States. It’s not even Indian! It’s British!

What really tipped me over the edge was watching the Pussycat Dolls’ remix of “Jai Ho,” the hit song by A.R. Rahman from Slumdog. At first, I was fascinated to see Nicole Scherzinger and the other Dolls dance in Indian-inspired clothing with khol-darkened eyes. Then, I heard the lyrics, some of which were literal translations from Hindi, and was incredibly confused. So much is lost: the subtle meanings and layers of context make a literal translation sound absurd and tacky. And finally came frustration and disappointment at the jazzed up “Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny)” that was more a failed imitation than a successful remix.

Even more so, it’s funny that it took a British film to make music legend A.R. Rahman an Oscar winner, and grab the attention of the U.S. It’s funny because he’s insanely famous in India, not to mention widely known and respected in other parts of the world such as the U.K. and Australia.

I’ve grown up listening to his tunes, from his mega-hit “Chaiyya Chaiyya” from Dil Se (1998), to “Radha Kaise Na Jale” from Oscar-nominated Lagaan (2001), to “Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi” from Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (2008). Known as the “Mozart of Madras,” A.R. Rahman has composed songs for over 70 movies and sold over 150 million albums. His fame stems from the global appeal of his music, which reflects musical influences from all over the world.

Take that Pussycat Dolls.

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He briefly flirted with the U.S. back in 2004 for the Broadway musical “Bombay Dreams” (that had previously performed in London in 2002 and 2003), and even composed music in the West End musical of “The Lord of the Rings” in London.

Time magazine critic Richard Corliss writes:

Rahman doesn’t even write what’s thought of as world music. He writes a world of music — so broad and deep, so instantly likable and lastingly satisfying, it is the whole world.

Yes, it’s great and all that Bollywood is now mainstream. But let’s not kid ourselves, the U.S. is far behind the curve on this one.

At any rate, it’ll be a relief to finally be able to wear a sari, and not have people asking me why I keep apologizing. Sorry.