‘Naatu Naatu’ the Punjabi way

Rajnish Wattas

MOVE over tango, salsa or flamenco; the world dance stage now belongs to our own rumbustious ‘Naatu Naatu’. Performed by Ram Charan and NTR Jr. in the film RRR with electrifying energy, rustic charge and perfect synchronism, it ran away with the coveted Oscar.

As the whole nation gyrates to the pulsating jig, its real test will be at the big fat Punjabi wedding. I’m sure that by now the traditional dholi who heralds the celebrations, invoking everyone to break into bhangra, has already got his beats right. And the computer synthesisers of the DJs have been fine-tuned to belt out fusions and remixes of the song. But the hallmark ‘hook knee step’ of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is not going to be a moonwalk — especially for the ‘Patiala peg’ gang of uncles and over-the-hill, high-heeled aunties, who might be hampered by their creaky bones.

We all had our days of shaking a leg or two in our youth. I remember in our times it was the twist — made famous by Chubby Checker’s ‘Let’s twist again….’ And then there were the more advanced versions of tequila and too much tequila. ‘Elvis the Pelvis’, of course, was inimitable with his rubbery legs and hip sways of ‘Jailhouse Rock’.

But the big move to the uninhibited public family dancing — including its womenfolk, notwithstanding their 6-yard silk saris and high heels — occurred with the Punjabi wedding extravaganzas. The baraatis would be in their most frenzied spirits at the threshold of the bride’s door. The band master of the Bharat Brass Band would emerge with his clarinet and start playing ‘Come September’, regardless of the season or talent at hand. But instead of Rock Hudson or Gina Lollobrigida, it would be the otherwise reticent, balding phupharji or chachaji on stage, possessed by some divine spirit (mostly Black Label) pumping adrenaline into their shaky bones.

But the biggest surprise would be the sudden emergence of a potbellied uncleji who insisted on doing a solo with a half-full whiskey glass balanced precariously on his balding head and a

Rs 500 note clenched between the teeth. The trance-like spell would break only when either the glass tumbled off and splintered or the flame-throwing auntyji unleashed one of those laser-beam killer looks! Another surprise would be the sudden jumping into the arena by an otherwise shy, invisible rishtedar getting into the Reena Roy mode and insisting on doing the nagin dance.

While the wedding rituals went on, the dance floor remained ablaze with shimmering lights and foot-stomping steps to the beats of Punjabi pop and Bollywood songs.

Who knows which one of these ‘talented’ performers will soon take a crack at ‘Naatu Naatu’!